Nowhere Kids
by 09sarahbean
Summary: Dark & dangerous times have fallen on Lucy Jones & the Wizarding community. You-Know-Who has returned, but the Ministry refuse to believe Harry Potter & Albus Dumbledore. Lucy must band together with her friends to make it through her fifth year at Hogwarts. Sequel to Dangerous.
1. 1: Welcome to Number Twelve

_**A/N: Welcome to story number five in my Lucy Jones series! For anyone who hasn't read the other four, you can start with This is Home. I am assuming that if you're reading this story, you have read the others that came before it.**_

_**I will be following my usual Monday-Wednesday-Friday posting schedule for this story. There are 33 chapters in this one, which is the longest in the entire series, so I hope everyone is looking forward to that. The rating is, again, T for language and one or two very mildly suggestive scenes.**_

_**Oh, and a happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there!**_

_**Here we go!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

_**No one needs you after all  
That little social scene, it's just a hate machine  
No one's here to take your call  
And now your self-esteem ain't what it used to be  
You've inspired the birth of ignorance, the death of innocence  
Guess who's back and mad as hell?  
The nowhere kids who wished you well**_

_**Nowhere Kids by Shinedown**_

**Chapter 1 – Welcome to Number Twelve**

Lucy Jones was exhausted. After everything that had happened in the past few weeks, and now that she had spent the whole day traveling home from school, she was ready to just get into bed.

Lucy had been born almost fifteen years ago to her parents Lily and James Potter. She had lived with her parents and twin brother Harry for a year until her parents had decided to temporarily send Lucy away for her safety. There had been a war going on in the Wizarding world, and Lily and James had been targeted by the evil Lord Voldemort.

To try and ensure Lucy's safety, they sent her to live in America with a couple named Dan and Sue Jones, who were unable to have children of their own. Unfortunately, a few months later, You-Know-Who had tracked the Potters down and murdered Lucy's parents. However, when the Dark Lord had turned his wand on Harry, his spell backfired. He disappeared, and the Wizarding world was safe—for the time being.

Therefore, Lucy remained in America with Dan and Sue, who permanently adopted her. Since they didn't have any other children, Lucy grew up as an only child. Dan and Sue were never told the identity of Lucy's parents, and so Lucy never knew who they were.

When Lucy turned eleven, she received an invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the magical school that served the United Kingdom. Dan and Sue then told Lucy all they knew about her birth parents—which didn't include their names—and Lucy found out that she had been born in England.

So, she decided to attend Hogwarts, especially since her birth parents had gone there. There she met her three best friends: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and her own twin brother Harry Potter.

A few months into her third year, Lucy finally found out who her birth parents had been. She had overheard the headmaster Albus Dumbledore speaking with Remus Lupin, who had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the time. Remus had been friends with both Lily and James, and when Lucy heard Remus and Dumbledore talking about her, she confronted them about it.

After discovering the truth, Lucy was sworn to secrecy. To keep herself and her new-found twin brother Harry safe, she couldn't reveal her secret to anyone. The only people who knew were Dumbledore, Remus, and Lucy's godfather Sirius Black.

Then, about a week prior, You-Know-Who—after a long plot that involved making Harry a champion in the Triwizard Tournament—had returned to full strength. The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to believe Harry, who had seen You-Know-Who come back. Lucy was anxious as to what would happen in the coming months if the Ministry refused to believe that You-Know-Who had returned.

**~LJ:NW~**

"Home sweet home," Molly Weasley, mother of the Weasley clan, said.

Lucy looked up at the Weasleys' home, the Burrow, and breathed a sigh of relief. Even though You-Know-Who was back, she couldn't help but feel safe at the Burrow.

"Come on, Lucy," Ginny Weasley said. She was a year younger than Lucy. "Let's take our stuff up to my room."

Lucy agreed, and the two girls began to pull their trunks towards the house.

"Need some help with those?" Bill Weasley, the eldest of the Weasley children, had exited the house and was walking in their direction.

"Yes, please," Ginny said.

Bill took his wand out and waved it at the girls' trunks. They levitated into the air, and he turned around and guided them into the house. Lucy and Ginny followed him up the stairs to the first floor, where Ginny's room was.

"Thanks, Bill," Lucy said after Bill had left the trunks in the bedroom.

Bill then turned and left, leaving the girls alone.

"You know, you don't look so well," Ginny commented bluntly, sitting down on her bed.

"Thanks, Gin," Lucy replied sarcastically. "I'm just worried about… everything. I'm worried about Harry, and I'm worried about Jeremy. I need a distraction."

Jeremy Whitlock was her boyfriend. He was a Slytherin who was the same age as she was—he'd be starting his fifth year in September just like she would—whom she'd started dating at the Yule Ball last Christmas. However, Jeremy's father was a Death Eater—a follower of You-Know-Who. Jeremy was against everything the Death Eaters stood for, but unfortunately, he was stuck living with his father for the summer.

"I can help you with that," Ginny said. "Did I tell you that I started dating someone?"

"What?" Lucy said sharply. "Who? When?"

"Michael Corner," Ginny replied.

"Isn't he in my year?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Ginny answered. "He's in Ravenclaw."

"So, where did you meet him?" Lucy questioned.

"At the Yule Ball, actually," Ginny answered. "He didn't ask me out until just before the third task, though."

"Kids!" Mrs. Weasley called from below. "Go wash up and come down for dinner!"

**~LJ:NK~**

The first few days back at the Burrow felt very odd to Lucy. The Weasleys were as welcoming as ever, and she always felt like she was a part of their family. Now that You-Know-Who had returned, however, there was a tense edge on the atmosphere.

Lucy and Ginny, along with Ginny's older brothers Ron (who was the same age as Lucy), Fred (who was two years older than Lucy), and George (Fred's twin), had started spying on Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's conversations. Mrs. Weasley refused to talk about anything too important with her children, stating that they weren't old enough to be dealing with it.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were planning on joining the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society formed by Dumbledore to help combat You-Know-Who. None of the Hogwarts-aged children—not even Fred or George, even though they were seventeen and of-age—were allowed to join up.

So far, the kids had found out that Fudge had been going around the Ministry and making sure that nobody was in contact with Dumbledore. This made things very difficult for Mr. Weasley, who was trying to recruit people into the Order right under Fudge's nose.

**~LJ:NK~**

Things got worse when Percy Weasley, the third eldest Weasley child, came home from work about a week after Lucy, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George had gotten back. He stalked smugly into the living room, where his parents, siblings, and Lucy were sitting.

"Good news, Father," he began. "I've been promoted at work."

Lucy exchanged confused looks with Ron and Ginny. Percy had graduated from Hogwarts the spring previously and had spent the last year working at the Ministry in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. After everything that had happened with Barty Crouch Senior—who had been head of the department—there had been an inquiry, and Percy had gotten into quite a bit of trouble.

"I've been offered a position in Cornelius Fudge's personal office," Percy went on when nobody said anything. "I'm going to be the Junior Assistant to the Minister."

Lucy watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shot each other concerned looks. Even Mrs. Weasley, who was always very proud of her children, seemed worried.

Percy seemed to notice this, as well, because he added, "Isn't that great news?"

"Why don't the rest of you go up to your rooms?" Mr. Weasley suggested.

Lucy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny all got up and left the room.

"This might be a good time to test them out, Fred," George whispered to his brother as they climbed the stairs.

"Test what?" Ron cut in, looking suspiciously between the two.

"Oh, just a new little invention of ours," Fred said loftily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, flesh-colored string.

"What _is_ that?" Lucy asked.

"_This_ is an Extendable Ear," Fred announced. "Let's say that there's a conversation going on that you want to listen to, but you're not supposed to hear it. Simply stick one end into your own ear, like so—" He inserted one of the ends into his ear. "—and then you let the other end down—" He wiggled the other end of the ear, and it snaked its way down the stairs towards the sitting room. "Result!" he exclaimed.

"Here," George said, handing Lucy, Ron, and Ginny each an Extendable Ear. "Stick 'em in your ears and see if they work, would you?"

Lucy, though a little suspicious, put the end of the string up to her ear. Then she dropped the other end down the stairs like Fred had. Suddenly, she could hear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking with Percy as clearly as if she was standing in the room with them.

"They work!" Lucy gasped.

"These are brilliant," Ginny added.

All five of them grew quiet as they listened in to the conversation taking place downstairs.

"—just worried that maybe Fudge is trying to spy on Dumbledore through you," Mr. Weasley was saying.

"I've worked very hard at the Ministry, you know!" Percy said indignantly. "I would have thought you'd be proud of me for acquiring such an impressive job only a year after finishing at Hogwarts!"

Mrs. Weasley quickly said, "We're not saying that you didn't earn it, Percy—"

"That's _exactly_ what you're saying!" Percy shouted. "I have _earned_ this position, which is more than what you can say—"

"Percy!" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"It's the truth!" Percy spat. "Father, you have one of the lousiest reputations at the Ministry, and I've been struggling against it for a year! I have worked hard to show the Ministry that, unlike you, I have ambition and am dedicated to serving them!"

Mrs. Weasley started angrily, "Don't you dare—!"

"Molly," Mr. Weasley intervened swiftly. "Percy, there are bigger things happening that the Ministry are completely overlooking! Fudge is insisting on putting his head in the sand—"

"The Ministry has stated quite plainly that there is no truth to Dumbledore's fear mongering," Percy said. "My loyalty lies with the Ministry, Father. Dumbledore has always tried to do things his own way, and now he's trying to take over the Ministry with his lies."

"How can you call Dumbledore a liar?" Mr. Weasley asked. "He is one of the greatest wizards in the world—!"

"Dumbledore is headed for big trouble," Percy interrupted. "If you mean to side with him, then so be it. I, on the other hand, am not an idiot. I know that the Ministry is looking out for all of us, and that is where my loyalty lies."

"Oh, so I'm an idiot because I believe what Dumbledore says about You-Know-Who returning to power?" Mr. Weasley demanded, sounding angry.

"Dumbledore is taking the word of a child," Percy replied simply.

"_Harry_ saw You-Know-Who return to power!" Mr. Weasley cried.

"Yes," Percy scoffed. "Convenient, isn't it, that there are no other witnesses coming forward? Special Harry Potter—all he's looking for is attention, as he always has been."

"What about that poor boy Cedric Diggory?" Mr. Weasley asked. "How do you explain his death?"

"Obviously there was some kind of accident during the third task," Percy replied. "As I said, if you've decided to side with Dumbledore—"

"You are blinded!" Mr. Weasley said. "Your new promotion has gone to your head, and now you are refusing to see the truth!"

"The truth, Father," Percy shouted, "is that, despite your horrible reputation at the Ministry, I have managed to secure a position that you could never achieve! Your lack of ambition has made us poor for my entire life, and I refuse to be a part of it anymore! If you've decided to side with Dumbledore, it is clear that I am no longer welcome in this family!"

"I have worked far harder in my life than you ever have!" Mr. Weasley thundered. "Fudge has always put an emphasis on blood purity, and because of that, he will always see me as a blood traitor—!"

"I've heard enough," Percy said. "I am leaving. I cannot be a part of a family who doesn't support and serve the Ministry. If you wish to put your eggs into a basket with the likes of Dumbledore, then I will make it known that I am no longer a part of this family."

Lucy and the others heard footsteps, and they all pulled their Extendable Ears back to them.

"Quickly," Ginny hissed. "In my room."

The five of them scampered into Ginny's room but left the door open a crack. A moment later, they heard Percy stomping up the stairs.

"That evil little git," Fred said angrily. "How can he speak to Dad like that?"

"He's too wrapped up in his promotion," George said. "Of course he's too proud to admit that Dumbledore's right."

"He's always thought he was better than us," Ron added scathingly.

"I don't understand why he thinks that Harry would be lying about this," Lucy said with a frown. "I thought he knew Harry better than that—"

She stopped suddenly as Fred waved at her to be quiet. He peeked through the crack in the door, and Lucy could hear footsteps again.

"Percy—he's coming back down," Fred whispered. "He has his case in his hand."

"You mean he's really leaving?" Ginny asked.

Fred didn't answer for a moment. Once the footsteps died away again, he answered, "So it would seem."

**~LJ:NK~**

The entire Weasley family was in shock for a few days. Lucy still had a hard time believing that after everything Mr. Weasley had done for his family, Percy would dismiss it all in one heated argument.

Mrs. Weasley was very upset about everything that had happened; she even went into London to try and get Percy to come back home. When she arrived, Percy slammed the door in her face. She had returned home in tears, and that was when Lucy and the others knew for certain that Percy had sided with the Ministry.

Then one evening, only a few days after the incident with Percy, Mr. Weasley made a surprise announcement at dinner. "The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is ready for us to move into," he said. "As you know, it's the old Black family home, and Sirius will be staying there, as well. We'll be meeting with Dumbledore in the morning, because he's acting as Secret-Keeper for the house."

"We'll be a little bit cramped for space for the first few weeks," Mrs. Weasley explained to them. "Only a few of the bedrooms are actually livable at the moment, but as we start to decontaminate the others, we'll all have a little more space to move around."

"Will Hermione be coming, too?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," Mr. Weasley replied. "In fact, we will be picking her up at the Leaky Cauldron before going over to the house."

"What about Harry?" Ron asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged a glance. "He will be staying with his aunt and uncle for a little longer," Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Why can't he come with us?" Lucy demanded. "It doesn't seem fair to leave him stranded with his Muggle relatives for so long—"

"Dumbledore has his reasons," Mr. Weasley said firmly. "Now that we're going to be living at headquarters, you all will have to be very careful about what you put into writing, in case it gets intercepted. Besides, the fewer owls coming in and out of the house, the better."

"I want you all to go upstairs and pack your things," Mrs. Weasley said. "We will be there for the remainder of the summer, and you won't be coming back here before you leave for school again. So make sure you pack everything you'll need for Hogwarts."

Lucy and the others obediently rose from the table and started up the stairs.

"I still don't understand why Harry can't come and stay with us at Sirius's," Lucy murmured as they climbed upwards. "It seems really mean to be keeping him in the dark after all he went through a few weeks ago."

"Not to mention that his aunt and uncle are horrible to him," Ron added. "I'm sure Harry would love to get out of their house as soon as he could."

Lucy and Ginny parted ways with the boys when they reached the first floor. The girls entered Ginny's room and started to throw their things into their trunks.

"You know what's weird?" Ginny spoke up after a few minutes.

"What's that?" Lucy prompted.

"We're going to go and stay with _Sirius_ _Black_," Ginny replied. "I know that you and Ron knew that he was innocent, but up until a few weeks ago, the rest of us were still convinced that he was a raving murderer. It'll be so strange spending time with him—what's he like?"

"He's kinder than you probably think he is," Lucy answered, "but he can also be blunt and to the point. He's very protective of Harry. He can be a bit reckless. At the end of the day, though, I think he's a good man."

"Well, knowing that you and Ron trust him makes me feel a bit safer about him," Ginny said. "Still—it's going to be a very interesting summer."

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Mrs. Weasley woke them all up very early. There were a lot of yawns over breakfast, but nobody complained about what time it was.

After breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ushered the rest of the family into a Muggle car that Mr. Weasley had gotten his hands on. They loaded up all five trunks, Ron's owl Pigwidgeon's cage, and Lucy's cat Evie's carrier. Then the boys and Lucy piled into the backseat, while Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny all squeezed into the front.

The ride into London was mostly quiet. Lucy was excited to see Sirius soon, and she was curious as to where they were actually going. She was also a little bit anxious about what condition the house would be in; Mrs. Weasley had mentioned that only a few of the bedrooms were currently livable, after all.

Soon they were pulling up to the Leaky Cauldron, a pub in the city that guarded the entrance to Diagon Alley. Standing outside on the curb was a bushy-haired girl holding the handle of a basket in both of her hands: it was Lucy's best friend, Hermione Granger.

"I want everyone to stay in the car," Mr. Weasley said as he pulled over. "We'll just be a minute."

He and Mrs. Weasley both exited the car, exchanging greetings with Hermione. Then they put Hermione's trunk into the back of the car with everyone else's. The basket, which was carrying Hermione's cat Crookshanks, was placed on top next to Pig's cage and Evie's carrier.

A moment later, Hermione was sliding into the front seat next to Ginny.

"Hi, Hermione!" the Weasleys and Lucy all chorused.

"Hello," Hermione replied, turning around to beam at the boys and Lucy in the back. "How are you all?"

"We're doing all right," Ron replied.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gotten back into the car, as well, and Mr. Weasley merged back onto the road.

**~LJ:NK~**

It was another twenty-minute drive before Mr. Weasley was parking in front of a row of houses. He and Mrs. Weasley didn't get out of the car right away; Lucy wondered what they were waiting for.

They only sat in the car for a few minutes before they saw a man appear out of thin air with a _crack_. It was Dumbledore, and he was striding across the pavement towards them.

"Come along," Mrs. Weasley said, opening her car door and getting out.

The rest of the Weasleys, Lucy, and Hermione scrambled out of the car.

"Good morning," Dumbledore greeted them. He reached his hand into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a bit of parchment. Then he held it out to Mr. Weasley first. "Everyone needs to read and memorize what's on this paper," Dumbledore instructed.

The Weasleys passed the note between each other. Finally, George handed the paper over to Lucy, who read it.

_The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

Lucy read the sentence over a couple of times before giving it to Hermione.

Once they'd all read it, Dumbledore took the parchment back and set it aflame with a wave of his wand. "I want you all to concentrate on what you just read," he told them.

There was a moment of silence as they all thought about what had been written on the piece of parchment. Lucy was very interested to see what the house looked like. Then, suddenly, there was a low rumbling. Lucy stared as the two houses across the street—numbers eleven and thirteen—shuddered and started to pull apart from one another. Another house was squeezing its way in between them.

"Number twelve, Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore announced, gesturing to the house that had just appeared. "After you, Molly."

Mrs. Weasley led the way across the street. Her children, Lucy, and Hermione hurried after her, followed by Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore. When they reached the house, Mrs. Weasley rang the doorbell.

A moment later, the front door opened, and they could all hear a shrill screaming coming from somewhere inside the house.

"About the doorbell," Sirius Black said loudly. "We should probably refrain from using it. Come in!"

They all filed into the house. Lucy's eyes were immediately drawn to a large portrait of a woman, who was screaming horrible things about Sirius that echoed around the hallway. Remus Lupin was struggling with a set of curtains, trying to pull them across the portrait. Sirius jumped forward to help his friend. It took them another minute, but as soon as the curtain was pulled, the portrait stopped screaming.

"What—?" Mrs. Weasley started, but Sirius quickly put his finger to his lips.

"Come down to the kitchen," he whispered. "It's not wise to converse in here. It'll just wake _her_ again."

"Who _is_ that?" Lucy asked quietly, unable to help herself.

Sirius chuckled and answered in a tone dripping with sarcasm, "_That_ is my dear, sweet, lovely mother."

He led the way across the hall and through a door. They walked down a set of steps and entered a large kitchen with a long table.

"Welcome to Grimmauld Place," Sirius said.

"Haven't you tried to take down that portrait in the entry?" Mrs. Weasley asked immediately.

"Of course," Sirius replied. "Unfortunately, it seems that she used a Permanent Sticking Charm on it. Until we can find a way to get it down, it's best to not wake her up, if at all possible. As you saw, she's, er—not very friendly."

"Before I leave you," Dumbledore spoke up, "I'd like to have a few words with you all."

Lucy, Hermione, and the Weasleys looked at the professor expectantly.

"First, I'd like to remind you to be careful about what you put into writing. We don't know who might be intercepting owls these days. Secondly—and I know this won't be easy—I must insist that you not tell Harry about what is going on here."

Lucy felt a little taken aback by this statement. It was one thing to be careful about what they wrote in letters; it was completely different to promise not to tell Harry _anything_. "Sir," she spoke up, "why can't Harry just come here to stay—?"

"Harry will be joining you at a later date," Dumbledore interrupted. "I want you all to give me your word that you will not tell Harry what is going on here."

Lucy wanted to argue, but she held her tongue.

"I think that's everything," Dumbledore said. "I'll now leave you in the capable hands of Sirius and Remus." He gave them a little bow, and then he swept from the room.

"I suppose we should show you all to your rooms," Sirius said. "There are only three bedrooms available right now. I figured the girls could share and the boys could share for the time being.…"

"I'm sure we'll be able to settle right in," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Follow me, then," Sirius said. "I'll give you the tour as we go."

He led the way back up to the main floor. "There's the main dining area through there," he whispered, pointing to a set of double doors. "Around the corner is a powder room. Both will need to be cleaned out this summer."

Across from the door to the kitchen was a staircase. Sirius went first, followed by the rest of them. They reached the next landing and saw four doors off this hallway.

"On the left is the parlor," Sirius went on, this time in a regular voice. "On the right are two bedrooms that are ready for people to live in. One of them is for you, Arthur and Molly—" He pointed to the one at the end of the hall. "—and the one just here is for Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny."

"Can we—?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Oh, of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

Hermione went over to the girls' room and opened the door. Lucy followed her inside, noting that there were three beds squished together. There was a large wardrobe on one wall and just enough room in the corner to store all three of their trunks.

When the girls were finished looking around at their room, they rejoined the adults and the boys out in the hall.

"The room at the end is a bathroom," Sirius told them. "It's the only bathroom in the house that is safe to use right now, so we'll have to get used to sharing. Moving on."

They moved up to the next floor, where there were four doors again.

"There are two bedrooms up here," Sirius said. "One of them is currently Remus's, and the other one is for the boys. When we finish up the extra bedrooms upstairs, the twins or Ron could move into one of them. The other rooms up here are a bathroom—which isn't safe to use yet—and my father's old study."

Ron, Fred, and George took a quick look at their room, and then the group moved on. The next floor had five doors off the hall.

"There are four bedrooms on this floor," Sirius explained. "One of them was my parents' room, and I'm keeping Buckbeak in there. The other three are not livable just yet, but when we fix them up, someone can move up here. The fifth room is another bathroom. It's also not usable yet.

"Well, I think that concludes the tour—" Sirius finished.

"What's up there?" Lucy asked, looking at the set of stairs that went up to another level.

"There's nothing much to see up there," Sirius said. "My bedroom's up there. There's another bedroom up there, too, but we won't be cleaning that one out."

"We'd better go and get our things," Mrs. Weasley said briskly.

"I'll help you, Molly," Remus volunteered.

They all trooped down to the main hallway, and Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Remus went to get all the luggage. The students, meanwhile, went down to the kitchen with Sirius to see what they could find for lunch.

They had just entered the kitchen when they heard a wheezing noise. Lucy was startled to see a very old-looking house-elf standing in the middle of the room. It looked around and bowed low to the ground when it saw Sirius.

"Kreacher," Sirius said, his voice sounding dismayed.

"Master Sirius," the elf croaked. Then he muttered, although everyone in the room could still hear him, "Who has he brought into the House of Black? More scum—more vermin—"

"That's _enough_, Kreacher," Sirius said harshly.

The elf bowed again before exiting the kitchen.

"Who was that?" Hermione asked. She had a bit of an obsession with house-elves ever since she'd discovered them the year prior.

"That was Kreacher," Sirius replied in a sour tone. "He was my mother's house-elf. He's been living here by himself since my mother died. I think he's been taking orders from her portrait for the past ten years."

Soon enough, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Remus had come back into the house. The Weasley children and Hermione went out to meet them, but Lucy hung back in the kitchen.

"How are you, Sirius?" she asked her godfather.

"I'm all right," he replied. "Dumbledore basically has me confined to this house. I'm not supposed to leave."

"Why not?" Lucy questioned.

"Well, the Ministry still think I'm a murderer, don't they?" Sirius pointed out. "Besides, Wormtail would have told Voldemort all about my secret, so my disguise is useless.… I've become the Order's secretary, for lack of a better description."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, frowning. She knew that Sirius wanted to help, so it couldn't be easy for him to barricade himself in the house.

"It'll be all right," Sirius sighed. "Once the Ministry gets its head out of its ass and realizes that Dumbledore's been telling them the truth all along, I'll be able to help more." He paused and then asked, "How are _you_? I feel like we're always talking about Harry, but I'm _your_ godfather, too."

"I'm okay," Lucy replied. "I miss Harry, though. I wish he could be here with us. Do you know why Dumbledore doesn't want us telling him anything?"

"I wish I knew," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons. He always does."

"That's what Mr. Weasley said," Lucy mumbled.

"Well, it's the truth," Sirius said. "If we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?"

"I know," Lucy said. "If we start to fight amongst ourselves, we'll never have the chance to beat You-Know-Who."

"Where'd you hear that from?" Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore, of course," Lucy said. "It was part of his speech at the end-of-term feast."

"Speaking of Hogwarts, how's school been going?" Sirius questioned.

"It's going well," Lucy answered. "I can't wait to go back, to be honest."

"I never pegged you for someone who loved schoolwork so much," Sirius teased.

Lucy swatted at his shoulder. "Shut up," she said. "I miss the people."

"What, do you have a boyfriend there or something?" Sirius asked.

Lucy felt her cheeks warm, and she avoided his gaze.

"Ha!" Sirius laughed. "Why didn't you want to tell me that you have a boyfriend?"

"You're just going to do the overprotective uncle thing," Lucy whined.

"So, who is he?" Sirius questioned. "Do I know his family?"

"Probably," Lucy replied. "His name is Jeremy Whitlock." Sirius's smile fell from his face, and Lucy said, "I _told_ you that you probably know his family. Yes, his father's a Death Eater."

"Gareth Whitlock," Sirius said with a nod. "He was a few years ahead of your father, Remus, and I at Hogwarts. He was friends with Lucius Malfoy. So, what's his son like?"

"He's nothing like a budding Death Eater would be," Lucy assured him. "He didn't even want to go back home this summer. He's kind and sweet, and—you know—he fancies me." She blushed again.

"As long as he makes you happy and doesn't do anything to hurt you," Sirius said. "Tell him that your godfather will set him straight if he ever treats you wrong."

Lucy chuckled. "I'll be sure to do that," she said. "Right after I tell him that my parents are actually Lily and James Potter."

They were interrupted then by Remus entering the kitchen. "There you two are," he said.

Lucy hurried over to him and hugged him tightly. Sirius may have been her godfather, but Lucy had a similar relationship with Remus. He was like a long-lost uncle to her in the same way that Sirius now was.

"Hi, Remus," she said as he hugged her back. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Remus replied. "You look taller; have you grown?"

"Just a little bit," Lucy answered.

"Well, I was told to come and get you, so that you can get your things settled in your bedroom," Remus reported.

"Okay," Lucy said. "I'll talk to you both later." She smiled between Sirius and Remus before leaving the kitchen.

**~LJ:NK~**

When she reached the girls' bedroom, Lucy found Hermione and Ginny dividing up the wardrobe.

"We figured that it would be silly to spend all summer living out of our trunks when we have space to store our clothes," Hermione explained.

"Mum said that we aren't going to start the cleaning until tomorrow," Ginny added. "That gives us all afternoon to get settled in here."

"Sounds good," Lucy said.

"How's Sirius?" Hermione asked as the girls began to put their clothes into the wardrobe.

"He's doing well enough, I think," Lucy replied. "He said that Dumbledore told him that he's not allowed to leave the house, though. I feel kind of bad about it."

"Why?" Hermione questioned.

"He doesn't seem to be very fond of this place," Lucy said. "Besides, imagine having to be cooped up in _this_ house."

"I'm sure Dumbledore has good intentions," Hermione commented.

**~LJ:NK~**

Mrs. Weasley ended up bringing the girls some sandwiches for lunch, and later that evening, they all convened in the kitchen for dinner.

"Tomorrow morning we're going to start cleaning the house," Mrs. Weasley said as they ate. "We're going to start up on the third floor. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, so I want you all to get some good sleep tonight. Then we can start bright and early tomorrow."

After dinner, Lucy went back upstairs with Hermione and Ginny. The girls changed into their pajamas and snuggled into their beds. Lucy took the one in the middle, and Evie curled up on the bed next to her.

"Good night," Lucy said quietly to the others.

"Good night," Ginny and Hermione said back.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I hope the confrontation between Percy and his parents was all right. I had to base it off of the conversation Harry has with the Weasleys later on, but I think I did pretty well. Also, it was the perfect place to introduce the Extendable Ears.**_

_**In this story, I have Remus living at the house with Sirius. I figured that Remus wouldn't have a day job and he'd want to help Sirius take care of headquarters. Remus would also be the one leaving the house to do the shopping and do guard duty for the Order.**_

_**I absolutely love the conversation between Lucy and Sirius in this chapter, especially Sirius teasing Lucy about having a boyfriend.**_


	2. 2: A New Routine

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2 – A New Routine**

So, their stay at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place had begun.

As promised, Mrs. Weasley woke her children, Lucy, and Hermione up early on their first morning at the house, and they all had breakfast in the kitchen. Then they started to work on one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Cleaning the house proved to be much more difficult than Lucy had previously thought. All kinds of strange creatures and plants had begun to grow in the rooms that had been empty for a long time. As Lucy, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny couldn't do any magic outside of school yet, it also meant that they were doing all the cleaning by hand.

Fred and George, however, _were_ old enough to be using magic. They made it a point to use their magic to do nearly everything, and they liked to Apparate whenever they wanted to go somewhere. Mrs. Weasley soon grew very tired of it, and she insisted that the twins were to do the cleaning the _Muggle way_, too.

Nearly every evening, members of the Order would show up to have meetings in the kitchen. Sometimes the meetings took place before dinner, but sometimes they were after. Either way, none of the Hogwarts kids were allowed anywhere near the kitchen when the meetings were taking place. Fred and George in particular took offense to this, claiming that because they were of-age, they should be allowed to listen in on the meetings if they wanted to.

Instead, Lucy and the others used the Extendable Ears to try and hear what was going on during these meetings. The inventions proved useful, although they had to be careful in using them. They didn't want any of the adults to find out about them, so they usually only heard snippets of conversations.

**~LJ:NK~**

About a week into their stay at the house, Fred and George had an argument with their mother over breakfast. They wanted to go into Diagon Alley and do some shopping, but Mrs. Weasley was against it.

"I don't want you wandering around by yourselves! It's too dangerous!" she claimed.

"Mum, we'll be all right," Fred sighed. "You-Know-Who is staying out of the public eye, isn't he? It's not likely that we're going to be ambushed in the middle of the street—"

"You don't know that for sure," Mrs. Weasley argued.

"I'll go with them, Molly," Remus volunteered. Mrs. Weasley seemed conflicted, and Remus added, "If there's any sign of trouble, we'll come back straight away."

"Well—I suppose if you have an adult with you…" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Can we go, too, Mum?" Ron asked.

Lucy watched Mrs. Weasley, feeling hopeful. It would be nice to get out of the house and breathe in some fresh air.

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Weasley said.

"But Mum—"

"I forbid it!" Mrs. Weasley snapped before Ron could finish his complaint. "The rest of you are too young to use magic! You wouldn't be able to protect yourselves if the circumstance arose, and don't think that the Ministry would believe it if you claimed you were defending yourselves against a Death Eater."

Fred and George left the house with Remus after they had finished with breakfast.

"They just didn't want to help clean today," Ron mumbled darkly to Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny.

**~LJ:NK~**

Late that afternoon, Remus, Fred, and George returned. Remus joined the gathering members of the Order, and Fred and George went up to the boys' room, where Lucy, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all sitting.

"How was Diagon Alley?" Lucy asked.

"It was pretty good," George replied. "We got you all presents, since you couldn't come with."

"You got us presents?" Ginny repeated, sounding suspicious.

"Of course we did," Fred said, digging through one of his bags. "Hermione first."

"Me?" Hermione asked.

Fred had pulled out a box from his bag and held it out to Hermione. She took it from him and opened it to find a very handsome eagle feather quill lying inside. It came with a bottle of ink, as well.

"It's beautiful," Hermione breathed.

"We thought you might like that," George said. "The ink inside is self-changing, too, so you can write in a bunch of different colors."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"Lucy, you next," Fred said, pulling the next item out of his bag and handing it over.

Lucy accepted it. "Hey, a new Exploding Snap deck!" she exclaimed.

"Not just a regular deck," Fred said. "It's an extended pack, so it has a bunch of extra cards and a booklet with the rules for some other games you can play."

"This is so cool," Lucy said. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," George said. "Ron's next." He was now rummaging in one of his bags, and a moment later, he pulled out their gift for Ron. It was a new set of dress robes.

"Just in case you ever need dress robes again," Fred said. "Now you won't need to wear those hideous ones from last year."

"Thanks," Ron said, taking the robes from his brother. He held them up to get a better look at them. "These are way better than those other ones are."

"Our thoughts exactly," George said.

"One last gift," Fred said, pulling out another box. He handed it over to Ginny.

When Ginny had opened the box, Lucy let out a gasp.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, holding it up.

"That's a dream catcher!" Lucy said. "They're made by Native American witches and wizards, and they stop you from having bad dreams. I didn't know you could buy them in Diagon Alley!"

"There's a specialty shop," Fred explained. "It's kind of tucked away in a corner, but it's full of these dream catchers and other trinkets."

"How does it stop the bad dreams?" Ginny asked.

"I'm sure it's some kind of complex spell or something," Lucy replied. "What I do know, though, is that Native American magic tends to be very powerful."

"Thank you, Fred, George," Ginny said.

The twins grinned.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner, as the girls were getting ready for bed, Ginny spoke up. "Where do you think Fred and George got the gold to buy us all these presents?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lucy said with a shrug. "I didn't think much about it."

"I was wondering about that, too," Hermione said, frowning. "I didn't think they had a lot of money left, considering what happened with Bagman."

They were interrupted by the sound of a couple of cracks. Fred and George had just Apparated into their room, and Hermione let out a squeal.

"All right, we need to set some ground rules," Lucy said. "No more Apparating directly into our room. Be gentlemen and at least knock on our door, would you?"

"All right, all right," George said, holding his hands up. "We were just trying to get closer to the kitchen door, so we could use the Extendable Ears."

He and his twin huddled up to the girls' door and snaked their Extendable Ears down the stairs. They were only sitting there for a few minutes when Fred mumbled, "_Shit_."

Lucy looked around to see Fred and George scrambling to pull the Extendable Ears back to them.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, but the boys didn't have a chance to answer.

The bedroom door banged open, and Mrs. Weasley, looking livid, stood there. She was holding the ends of the Extendable Ears in her hand. "_What are these supposed to be_?" she asked.

Fred tried to say, "Mum—"

"You've been _spying_ on the meetings!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "Don't try to deny it! I specifically told you that you weren't allowed at the meetings, so you've been spying on them with these _things_!" She snatched the ears out of the twins' hands and said, "We're going up to your bedroom, and you're going to give me the rest of them!"

She turned and marched from the room. George followed her obediently, but Fred paused and turned to the girls. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a handful of ears and threw them at Lucy, who was nearest. Then he turned and hurried after his mother.

"I guess that means he wants us to hide them," Lucy said, taking the ears over to her trunk. She opened it and tossed them inside.

"I told them they needed to be more careful," Hermione said. "They were bound to get caught eventually."

**~LJ:NK~**

A couple weeks later, the Weasleys, Lucy, and Hermione found themselves sitting around the kitchen table after another day of cleaning. They had spent all day in the last bedroom, and it still wasn't fully ready for someone to sleep in. Now they were gathered for dinner, enjoying some stew that Mrs. Weasley had made, when Dumbledore came walking swiftly into the kitchen.

Lucy was surprised to see the professor at that moment. They hadn't seen him since the day that they had arrived—although they had heard him plenty of times over the Extendable Ears. Lucy was also startled to see that Dumbledore looked furious. She immediately wondered what had happened.

"Hello, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said, sounding very startled to see him. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, thank you, Molly," Dumbledore replied politely, although his eyes were still blazing. "I just wanted to know if Arthur is still at work."

"Y-Yes, I believe he is," Mrs. Weasley said, confused.

"Thank you, Molly," Dumbledore said. "I'll have Arthur send word once I get to the Ministry." He turned on his heel and left the kitchen again, with the Weasleys, Lucy, and Hermione staring after him.

"What's for dinner?" Sirius asked, entering the kitchen.

"Stew," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Did you see Dumbledore on your way down here?"

"Yes," Sirius said, taking a seat at the table. "He looked like he was in a hurry, so I didn't bother him. Why, did something happen?"

"He didn't say," Mrs. Weasley answered. "He asked if Arthur was still at work, and then he said he was off to the Ministry."

"The Ministry?" Sirius repeated, frowning. "I wonder why he would want to go there, of all places."

About twenty minutes later, they got their answer. An owl swooped into the room and landed on the table in front of Mrs. Weasley. She took the letter from the owl, and it flew away.

Mrs. Weasley unfolded the parchment and scanned it, her eyes growing wide. "Oh, my," she said faintly. She cleared her throat and announced, "It seems that a couple of dementors attacked Harry and his cousin in Little Whinging."

"What?" Sirius burst out, standing up from the table and holding his hand out to see the letter.

"Two dementors attacked Harry and his Muggle cousin," Mrs. Weasley continued, handing the letter over. "Harry used a Patronus Charm to fight them off, but now he may possibly be expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in front of a Muggle."

"Wasn't Mundungus supposed to be watching him tonight?" Sirius asked.

"It seems that Mundungus left his post early," Mrs. Weasley replied, looking angry.

"I'm going to write to Harry," Sirius said.

Mrs. Weasley started, "Sirius—"

"I know, I know," Sirius interrupted. "I'm not going to tell him anything. I'm just going to tell him to stay at his aunt's and uncle's house." He turned and dashed out of the kitchen.

After a moment, Mrs. Weasley hurried out behind him.

"I hope Harry's all right," Hermione said, looking anxious. "He really needs to be more careful."

"_More careful_?" Ron echoed. "Two dementors went after him! Did you expect him to just let them suck his soul out?"

"He really is a magnet for trouble, isn't he?" Ginny remarked.

"How could they expel him for protecting himself?" Lucy asked. "I mean, I know we're not supposed to use magic outside of school, but if there were dementors involved—"

"I'm sure the Ministry is going to deny that there were dementors attacking him," George said matter-of-factly. "Dementors are under Ministry control, or at least, the Ministry believes that they are."

"Why else would Harry use a Patronus Charm, though?" Lucy pointed out. She exchanged blank looks with the other Weasleys and Hermione before going back to eating her stew in silence.

**~LJ:NK~**

It was a few hours later when Mrs. Weasley found the kids sitting in the bedroom Fred and George were staying in. They had moved out of the room with Ron about a week ago, something that all three boys were grateful for.

That evening, Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron were all playing Exploding Snap. Lucy was watching with Evie lounging on her lap. Hermione was reading one of her textbooks nearby.

"Well, the good news is that Harry hasn't been expelled yet," Mrs. Weasley began, looking relieved. "Dumbledore has managed to convince the Ministry to hold a hearing for Harry to determine whether he should be expelled or not. A group from the Order will be going to collect Harry from his aunt's and uncle's house in a few days, but Dumbledore has asked me to remind you that you are not to send Harry any owls about what is going on. We don't want anything to get intercepted."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Lucy said, smiling at the woman.

"Don't stay up too late," Mrs. Weasley added. "We have to finish decontaminating that bedroom in the next few days. Oh, Lucy, Hermione, Ron—Sirius wants to talk to you."

"Where is he?" Lucy asked, nudging Evie off her and standing up.

"He's in with Buckbeak," Mrs. Weasley replied. She left the room.

Lucy looked at Hermione and Ron. "Shall we?" she asked.

Hermione saved her place in her book, and she, Lucy, and Ron left the bedroom. They walked down the hallway, reached the room where Buckbeak was staying, and knocked.

"Come in," Sirius called from inside.

Lucy pushed the door open, and the three filed into the room. They stopped short when they saw Harry's snowy owl Hedwig flapping around Sirius's head.

"What is she doing?" Ron asked.

Hedwig squawked and flew at the other three, brandishing her leg. There were three bits of parchment attached to it. Hermione untied them and handed one each to Lucy and Ron. Lucy opened hers up and read the short note Harry had written.

_I've just been attacked by dementors, and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here._

"What does yours say?" Ron asked, looking over Lucy's shoulder. He scanned the parchment in her hands and reported, "Mine says the same thing."

"I assume yours all say that Harry wants to know what's happening," Sirius sighed, leaning against an old wardrobe that was pushed up against the wall.

"I know that Dumbledore and the others say that we're not supposed to send letters in case they get intercepted," Lucy started, "but why can't we let Harry know what's happening? It seems very unfair that he doesn't get _any_ information about what's going on."

"Not to mention the fact that if he was here already, none of this would have happened," Ron added.

"I don't know why Dumbledore doesn't want Harry knowing anything," Sirius admitted, "but he has his reasons. He always does. If we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?" He sounded a little bitter, however. "It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep."

Hermione and Ron said good night to Sirius and left the room, but Lucy stayed behind.

"How are you, Sirius?" she asked in a quiet voice. Even though she'd been at Grimmauld Place for about a month, she'd barely had time to talk to Sirius on his own. The Weasleys and Hermione were almost always around, and it was difficult for Lucy to have a private conversation with her godfather when nobody else knew that he was her godfather.

Sirius sighed. "I'm fine," he said. "I just feel like a burden to the Order right now. I wish I could do something to help, but Dumbledore insists that I stay hidden. When I was on the run, at least I was outside in the fresh air. I never thought I'd have to come back into _this_ house." He let out another breath through his nose before asking, "How are _you_?"

"I'm okay," Lucy said. "Feeling a little trapped, as well, but at least I have Hogwarts to look forward to."

Sirius smirked. "How's that boyfriend of yours?" he teased.

Lucy felt herself blush. "He's fine, as far as I can tell," she said. "He can't write much in his letters, but it sounds like he's having a fairly normal summer."

Sirius chuckled. "Sorry," he said. "I can't help it. I had to tease you about it, for your old man's sake." He stood up straight and walked over to the door. "I think I'm going to turn in," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Sirius," Lucy said.

**~LJ:NK~**

Another few days went by before they heard anything about Harry again. They were having breakfast when Mrs. Weasley announced the news. "A group from the Order will be picking Harry up tonight," she stated.

"Good," Ron said. "Maybe he'll be able to get Hedwig to stop pecking at our hands."

Ever since Hedwig had arrived, she had been following Lucy, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius around, nipping at their fingers. None of them could get her to stop doing it.

"When will he get here?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"I think they're waiting to get him until the evening, so sometime tonight," Mrs. Weasley answered. "However, you know what Dumbledore has said; you are not to tell Harry more than he needs to know. The Order is also having a meeting tonight, so you'll have to entertain yourselves for the evening."

"We do that every night, Mum," Fred pointed out. "Don't worry about us."

**~LJ:NK~**

That evening, the kids were hustled away from the kitchen. Lucy, Ron, and Hermione went up to Ron's room to wait for Harry. Ron pulled out his deck of Exploding Snap.

"I wonder how they're going to get him here," Hermione said about Harry as Ron dealt the cards.

"No idea," Lucy said. "I'm more worried about how angry he's going to be."

"Why would he be angry?" Ron asked.

"Wouldn't you be?" Lucy shot back. She held up her hand and started to count on her fingers. "He had to watch as You-Know-Who became strong again. He had to watch Cedric die. We all promised that he would join us here as soon as we could get him here, but it's been over a month. He got attacked by dementors and might be expelled from school—"

"I guess you're right," Ron conceded.

"Not to mention the fact that we haven't been able to give him answers to any of the questions he's sent us," Hermione added.

"Dumbledore made us swear to not tell him anything," Ron said. "Harry will understand that, won't he? That we didn't have a choice?"

"Maybe," Lucy said, "but maybe not. I would be frustrated if I were him, no matter what the reasons."

They played a game of Exploding Snap in silence. Ron won the first game, and he scooped up the cards to deal out another game.

"I wonder if Fred and George are trying to listen in to the meeting downstairs," he said as he dealt another round.

"I'm sure they're going to try," Lucy said, picking up her cards to see what she had.

They had gotten about halfway through the game when the door to the bedroom opened, startling the three of them. They all turned to see Harry Potter standing in the doorway.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I needed to let Fred and George out of the house to explain how they bought Ron a new set of dress robes (which is mentioned later on in the story). It morphed into the twins buying them each a present. Ginny's dream catcher was an opportunity for Lucy to mention Native American magic, and it also implies that Ginny may still have nightmares from when she was possessed by Tom Riddle's diary.**_

_**I also imagined that Fred and George used the trip to look around at potential premises for their future joke shop.**_

_**Originally, this story started with Lucy and the others finding out that Harry had been charged with using magic. I added the beginning of this chapter plus chapter one later on, when I realized that I wanted to show more scenes from Lucy's perspective, as opposed to just helping the Weasleys tell Harry about it later.**_


	3. 3: Getting Harry Caught Up

_**A/N: This is just a general warning that there will be a lot more cursing starting in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable with curse words, you may not want to read this story.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Getting Harry Caught Up**

"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, jumping up and launching herself at Harry. "Ron! Lucy! He's here! Harry's here!"

"We can see that," Lucy said, standing up and walking over to them. Hermione let go of Harry, so Lucy could hug him, as well. "We didn't hear you arrive," Lucy added as she embraced him.

She stepped back and studied her brother closely. He looked the same as ever: skinny, with messy black hair and the same green eyes as their mother Lily.

"Oh, how _are_ you?" Hermione asked. "Are you all right? Have you been _furious_ with us? I bet you have. I know our letters were useless—but we couldn't tell you _anything_. Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't—oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell _us_—the dementors! When we heard—and that Ministry hearing—it's just _outrageous_! I've looked it all up, and they _can't_ expel you—they just _can't_! There's a provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations—"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said, cutting her off as he approached them. He grinned at Harry and closed the bedroom door behind them.

Hedwig flew over from across the room and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed, stroking her a few times.

"She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters—look at this.…" He held his hand out for Harry to see the scratches.

"Oh, yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know.…"

"We wanted so badly to give them to you," Lucy said sadly. "But you're here now!"

"Hermione was going spare," Ron added. "She kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us—"

"Swear not to tell me," Harry finished for him. "Yeah, Hermione's already said." There was a heavy pause as Harry stroked his owl and didn't look at the other three.

"He seemed to think it was best," Hermione explained after a few seconds. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," Harry said.

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles," Ron supplied.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, his voice strained. "Have any of _you _been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"No, but we haven't left this house in weeks," Lucy said. "Dumbledore's had people from the Order tailing you all the time, though, to stop something like this from happening."

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" Harry asked. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," Hermione whispered. She cleared her throat and continued in a louder voice, "Dumbledore. We saw him when he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic. Then Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer."

"You don't know that," Lucy said, frowning.

"Aren't you—aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry stated boldly. He took a few steps away from them, looking around the room. "So, why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" he asked. "Did you—er—bother to ask him at all?"

"No, Harry, we never asked why he didn't want us writing to you," Lucy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"We told him we wanted to tell you what was going on," Ron said. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, and we've only seen him twice since we came here. He didn't have much time—he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote. He said the owls might be intercepted—"

"He still could've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said stubbornly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."

"I thought that, too," Hermione said, "but he didn't want you to know _anything_."

Harry said, "Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted—"

"Don't be thick," Ron cut in.

"—or that I can't take care of myself," Harry suggested.

"Harry, why would he think that?" Lucy asked exasperatedly. "If he thought that, he wouldn't have let you compete in the Triwizard Tournament last year."

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you three get to join in everything that's going on here?" Harry asked, sounding upset. "How come you three are allowed to know everything that's going on?"

"We're not!" Ron insisted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings. She says we're too young—"

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE FUCKING MEETINGS! BIG DEAL!" Harry shouted, surprising them. "YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME—I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! EVEN THOUGH I'VE HANDLED A HELL OF A LOT MORE THAN YOU THREE'VE EVER MANAGED, AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT—WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"

"That's not fair, Harry," Lucy said quietly, fixing him with a hard stare.

But Harry continued like she hadn't said anything. "WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR?" he yelled. "WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO FUCKING _ESCAPE_ FROM HIM? ME!"

Lucy glanced at Ron, who looked speechless, and Hermione, who seemed like she was about to cry.

Harry, however, continued, "BUT WHY SHOULD _I_ KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL _ME_ WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you," Hermione said. "We really did—!"

"CAN'T HAVE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU," Harry snapped, "OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME A GOD DAMN OWL. BUT _DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR_—!"

"Well, he did," Ron grumbled.

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE," Harry bellowed, "NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON—!"

Hermione tried again, "We wanted to—"

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU," Harry raved, "ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER—?"

"No, honest," Hermione said.

"ENOUGH!" Lucy screamed. Harry rounded on her, but she was too angry with him to care. "What the hell's the matter with you?" she snapped. "We _wanted_ to tell you; how many times do we have to say so until you understand?"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME ANYWAY!" Harry shouted.

"STOP YELLING AT US!" Lucy cried. "Just stop it! We're not the ones you're mad at; I know it, and you know it. We're sorry that things happened this way, and we're sorry that we couldn't have sent you more information. Stop taking your frustrations out on _us_! What the fuck do you want us to do about it?"

Harry scowled before dropping his eyes to the floor and pacing back and forth. After a few minutes of silence, he asked, "What _is_ this place, anyway?"

"Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix," Ron answered promptly.

"Is anyone going to bother telling me what the Order of the Phoenix _is_?" Harry asked in an annoyed voice.

"_Harry_," Lucy said sharply, warning in her tone.

"It's a secret society," Hermione explained. "Dumbledore's in charge; he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

"Who's in it?" Harry asked in a calmer tone.

"Quite a few people," Hermione said.

"We've met about twenty of them," Ron added, "but we think there are more.…"

There was a pause.

"_Well_?" Harry snarled.

"Well _what_, Harry?" Lucy asked, shaking her head.

"_Voldemort_!" Harry burst out. "What the hell's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

"We've _told_ you, the Order don't let us in on their meetings," Lucy pointed out. "We don't know any of the details."

"We've got a general idea, though," Hermione added quickly, noticing the furious look on Harry's face.

"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see," Ron said. "They're dead useful."

"Extendable—?"

"Ears, yeah," Ron finished. "Only we've had to stop using them lately, because Mum found out and went berserk. Fred and George had to hide them all to stop Mum binning 'em. We got a good bit of use out of them before Mum realized what was going on, though. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters—keeping tabs on them, you know—"

"Some of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order," Hermione added.

"And some of them are standing guard over something," Ron finished. "They're always talking about guard duty."

"Couldn't have been me, could it?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, yeah," Ron said.

"This isn't all about you, Harry," Lucy said. "They could be guarding something else, too."

Harry looked away from them and then walked around the room again. "So, what have you three been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" he asked. "You said you'd been busy."

"We have," Hermione said, nodding. "We've been decontaminating this house. It's been empty for ages, and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms, and I think we're doing to drawing room tomorrow—AARGH!" she squealed as Fred and George appeared in the room with two loud bangs.

"You two _need_ to stop doing that," Lucy scolded them.

They winked at her.

"Hello, Harry," George said brightly. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry. Let it all out," Fred said, grinning. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

Lucy snorted.

"You two passed your Apparition tests, then?" Harry asked.

"With distinction," Fred replied, holding the end of an Extendable Ear in one hand.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the damn stairs," Ron pointed out.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," Fred insisted. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he explained when Harry looked at the ear with uncertainty. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

"You want to be careful," Ron warned them. "If Mum sees one of them again—"

"It's worth the risk," Fred stated. "That's a major meeting they're having."

The bedroom door opened, and Ginny entered the room. "Oh, hello, Harry!" she said cheerfully. "I thought I heard your voice." Once very embarrassed and clumsy around Harry, Ginny had finally learned to relax around him. She turned to Fred and George and added, "It's a no-go with the Extendable Ears. She's gone and put an Imperturbable Curse on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" George asked.

"Tonks told me how to find out," Ginny explained. "You just chuck shit at the door, and if it can't make contact, the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs, and they just soar away from it. There's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

"Shame," Fred sighed. "I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" Harry piped up. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," George said. He went to the door, shut it firmly, and took a seat on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny sat, as well. "Giving a report," George said. "Top secret."

"Bastard," Fred remarked.

"He's on our side now," Hermione said.

"Doesn't stop him being a bastard," Ron said with a shrug. "The way he looks at us when he sees us.…"

"Bill doesn't like him, either," Ginny added.

Harry now sat on the bed opposite the one George, Fred, and Ginny were sitting on. "Is Bill here?" he asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt."

"He applied for a desk job, so he could come home and work for the Order," Fred replied. "He says he misses the tombs, but there are compensations.…" He exchanged a smirk with George.

Lucy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the wardrobe.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" George said. "She's got a job at Gringotts to _eemprove 'er Eenglish—_"

"Bill's been giving her a _lot_ of private lessons," Fred chuckled.

"Oh, leave him alone," Lucy said, shaking her head.

"Charlie's in the Order, too," George continued, looking at Harry, "but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked.

Lucy frowned deeply, scowling along with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione.

"Whatever you do, _don't_ mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad," Ron advised Harry.

"Why not?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.

"Because every time Percy's name is mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding, and Mum starts crying," Fred replied.

"It's been awful," Ginny added.

"I think we're well shut of him," George said, looking furious.

"What happened?" Harry insisted.

"Percy and Dad had a row," Fred began. "I've _never_ heard Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts.…"

"It was the first week back after term ended," Ron continued. "We were about to come and join the Order. Then Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"You're kidding," Harry said.

"Yeah, we were all surprised," George said, "because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch. There was an inquiry and everything. They said that Percy ought to have realized Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy: Crouch left him in charge, so he wasn't going to complain—"

"So how come they promoted him?" Harry asked.

"That's exactly what we wondered," Lucy spoke up.

"He came home really pleased with himself," Ron said. "Even more pleased than usual, if you can imagine that—and he told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts—Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

"Only Dad wasn't," Fred said.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Well, apparently, Fudge has been storming 'round the Ministry and checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," George explained.

"Dumbledore's name's mud with the Ministry these days, see," Fred continued. "They all think he's just making trouble, saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," George added.

"Trouble is," Fred said, shaking his head, "Fudge suspects Dad. He knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo, because of his Muggle obsession—"

"What's this got to do with Percy?" Harry asked.

"I'm coming to that," Fred said. "Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family—and Dumbledore."

"Bet Percy _loved_ that," Harry said with a low, dark chuckle.

"He went completely fucking berserk," Ron said, laughing without humor. "He said—well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry, and that Dad's got no ambition, which is why we've always been—you know—not had a lot of money, I mean—"

"_What_?" Harry said, looking appalled.

Ginny hissed, looking upset, as well.

"I know," Ron continued, "and it got _worse_. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore—that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble, and Dad was going to go down with him—and that he—Percy—knew where his loyalty lay, and it was with the Ministry—and if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry, he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. He packed his bags and left that same night. He's living here in London now."

"Fucking hell," Harry said in a very low voice.

"Mum's been in a right state," Ron went on. "You know—crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy, but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work—ignores him, I s'ppose."

"But Percy _must_ know Voldemort's back," Harry said, looking around at the Weasleys. "He's not stupid. He must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof—"

"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the fight," Lucy said, shaking her head. "Percy said the only evidence was your word, and apparently, he doesn't think that's good enough."

"Percy takes the _Daily Prophet_ seriously," Hermione added coldly.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking at each of the Weasleys, Hermione, and Lucy.

"Haven't—haven't you been getting the _Daily Prophet_?" Hermione asked warily.

"Yeah, I have!" Harry exclaimed.

"Have you—er—been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked.

"Not cover to cover," Harry said. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort, it would be headline news, wouldn't it?"

"Harry," Lucy said, "you know the Ministry's denying You-Know-Who's return. There hasn't been anything about _him_ in the _Prophet_, but they—er—they mention you a few times a week."

Harry insisted, "I'd have seen—"

"Not if you've only been reading the front page, you wouldn't," Hermione cut him off with a shake of her head. "We're not talking about the big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."

Harry began, "What d'you—?"

"It's quite nasty, actually," Hermione continued over Harry. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."

"She's not writing for them anymore, is she?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no, she's kept her promise—not that she's got any choice," Hermione answered, sounding a bit triumphant. "She's just laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."

"Which is _what_?" Harry asked.

"Okay, you know she wrote that you were collapsing all over the place and saying your scar was hurting and all that?" Hermione began.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Well, they're writing about you as though you're this deluded, attention-seeking person who thinks he's a great tragic hero or something," Hermione explained. "They keep slipping in snide comments about you. Like if some far-fetched story appears, they say something like _a tale worthy of Harry Potter_, and if anyone has a funny accident or anything, it's _let's hope he hasn't got a scar on his forehead or we'll be asked to worship him next_.…"

Harry stated hotly, "I don't want anyone to fucking worship—"

"We know you don't," Lucy said impatiently. "We _know_, Harry. Don't you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone that nobody will believe. I'd bet anything that Fudge is behind it. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid kid who's a bit of a joke and who tells ridiculous stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask—I didn't want—_Voldemort killed my fucking parents_!" Harry stuttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't fucking kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never—?"

"We _know_, Harry," Ginny chimed in.

"Of course, they didn't report a _word_ about the dementors attacking you," Hermione continued. "Someone's told them to keep _that_ quiet. That should've been a really big story, out-of-control dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy—we thought they might. It would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off—we think they're biding their time until you're expelled, and then they're really going to go to town—I mean, _if_ you're expelled, obviously," Hermione added quickly. "You really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws. There's no case against you."

There was a moment of silence which was broken by the noise of footsteps on the stairs.

"Uh-oh," Fred muttered, tugging on his Extendable Ear. He and George Disapparated.

Moments later, Mrs. Weasley appeared at the bedroom door. "The meeting's over," she said. "You can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. Oh, and who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," Ginny said without missing a beat. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said. "I thought it might have been Kreacher. He keeps doing odd things like that. Now, don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy; what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please.…"

Mrs. Weasley turned to leave, and Ginny made a quick face at her mother's back before following her out of the room.

Harry looked at Lucy, Hermione, and Ron, who were watching him apprehensively. He began, "Look—"

"We knew you'd be angry, Harry," Hermione interrupted him. "We really don't blame you, but you've got to understand: we _did_ try and persuade Dumbledore—"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, although he still sounded annoyed.

"Do you?" Lucy asked quietly. "Are you going to quit being pissed off at us when you should really be annoyed with Dumbledore?"

Harry nodded but didn't say anything more about it. "Who's Kreacher?" he asked, changing the subject.

"The house-elf who lives here," Ron answered. "Nutter. Never met one like him."

"He's not a _nutter_, Ron," Hermione argued.

"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plaque just like his mother's," Ron said. "Is that _normal_, Hermione?"

"Well—well, if he's a bit strange, it's not his fault," Hermione insisted.

"Hermione still hasn't given up on _spew_," Ron said to Harry.

"It's not _spew_!" Hermione snapped. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and it's not just me! Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher, too—"

"Yeah, yeah," Ron said dismissively. "C'mon, I'm starving." He led the way out of the room and onto the landing. They were about to go down the stairs when Ron held his arm out to stop the other three, hissing, "Hold it!"

They all looked over the banister and could see a group of witches and wizards gathered in the hallway. Severus Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts, was standing in the middle of the crowd.

An Extendable Ear appeared in front of Lucy's vision. She glanced up, noticing Fred and George huddled together on the landing above them. She gave them a small salute, which George returned.

Lucy was glad that she and George were able to be close friends still. The year before, George had asked her to the Yule Ball. Lucy had thought they were going as just friends, but George had fancied her. Her acceptance of his invitation had given him hope that maybe she liked him back, but she'd had a crush on Jeremy. When George saw her and Jeremy share a kiss at the ball, he had been upset but had quickly accepted the fact that Lucy didn't return his feelings. Now they were as close as ever, and Lucy would be forever grateful for his friendship.

The twins had just lowered their Extendable Ear when the group below began to move towards the front door.

"Damn it," Fred whispered, reeling the Extendable Ear back up.

The front door opened and then closed.

"Snape never eats here," Ron said to Harry. "Thank Merlin. C'mon."

"Don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry," Hermione whispered.

They walked down the stairs and entered the hallway, where they saw Remus, Mrs. Weasley, and Nymphadora Tonks—a younger Auror who preferred to be called by her surname—standing at the front door, magically sealing it behind the guests.

Mrs. Weasley turned and hurried over to them. "We're eating down in the kitchen," she said in a very quiet voice. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across this hall—it's through this door here—"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Lucy turned to see Tonks sprawled out on the floor.

"_Tonks_!" Mrs. Weasley wailed.

"I'm sorry!" Tonks cried. "It's that stupid umbrella stand! That's the second time I've tripped over—"

That's when the screeching began. Lucy, Ron, and Hermione threw their hands over their ears, and Harry looked around in bewilderment.

In the middle of the hall, Sirius's mother's portrait had awoken. She began to scream at the top of her lungs, as she usually did whenever she was disturbed. Her screaming also awoke the other portraits in the hall, causing them to yell and scream, as well.

"_Filth! Scum!_" she bellowed.

Remus and Mrs. Weasley rushed forward to try and pull the curtains back over the portrait, but they wouldn't move.

"_By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks—begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers?_"

Tonks was busy trying to put the umbrella stand back, all while apologizing profusely, although nobody could hear her. Mrs. Weasley stopped tugging on the curtains and began to Stun the other portraits to get them to stop making such a racket.

Then Sirius came striding out of the door to the kitchen. "Shut the hell up, you horrible old hag!" he shouted, grabbing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had dropped. "Shut UP!"

"_Yoooou!_" the woman in the portrait screamed. "_Blood traitor—abomination—shame of my flesh!_"

"I said—shut—the hell—_UP_!" Sirius snarled, and he and Remus were able to wrench the curtains closed again.

Short of breath, Sirius swept the hair from his eyes and turned to look at his godson. "Hello, Harry," he greeted. "I see you've met my mother."

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Like I said, more swearing is happening in this story. Harry in particular will be cursing a lot.**_


	4. 4: Dinner With the Order

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Dinner with the Order**

Harry, surprised, asked, "Your—?"

"My dear old mum, yeah," Sirius said. "We've been trying to get her down for a month, but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's get downstairs, quickly, before they all wake up again." He gestured to the door he had come out of.

"What's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, following his godfather, and Lucy, Hermione, and Ron trailed after them.

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house," Sirius explained. "I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters—about the only useful thing I've been able to do."

Lucy could hear the bitterness in his voice, and she frowned at the back of his head.

They reached the kitchen and found Mr. Weasley and Bill bent over a parchment at the end of the table. They were talking low, with their heads together. There were bits of paper littering the table, along with goblets and bottles of wine. Mrs. Weasley, following behind Ron, cleared her throat significantly.

Mr. Weasley looked up, beaming when he saw Harry. "Harry!" he exclaimed. He stepped forward and shook Harry's hand. "Good to see you!"

Bill, meanwhile, hurried to collect all the papers on the table. "Journey all right, Harry?" he asked. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," Tonks remarked, going over to help Bill clean up. She knocked into the table and sent a candle into one of the pieces of parchment. "Oh, no," she moaned. "_Sorry_."

"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. She took her wand out and repaired the parchment.

Lucy looked at the parchment, and in the brief moment the light from the spell hit it, she could make out what looked like building plans.

Mrs. Weasley grabbed the parchment off the table and placed it in Bill's arms with the other ones. "This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," she scolded.

"_Evanesco_!" Bill said, pointing his wand at the parchment, and they vanished.

"Sit down, Harry," Sirius said, waving him into a chair. "You've met Mundungus, haven't you?"

Mundungus Fletcher, who had fallen asleep at the end of the table, started suddenly. "Some'n say m' name?" he asked groggily. "I 'gree with Sirius—"

Lucy and Ginny sniggered. The two of them, Hermione, and Ron all sat around the table, as well.

"The meeting's over, Dung," Sirius told him. "Harry's arrived."

"Eh?" Mundungus grunted. He turned his bloodshot eyes to Harry and said, "Blimey, so 'e 'as. Yeah… you all right, 'Arry?"

"Yeah," Harry said, sounding unsure.

Mundungus pulled a pipe from his pocket, stuck it in his mouth, and lit it. A thick cloud of smoke poured out of the end of it, obscuring his face. "Owe you a 'pology," he added.

"For the last time, Mundungus," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, "will you please _not_ smoke that thing in the kitchen—especially not when we're about to eat!"

"Ah," Mundungus said. "Right. Sorry, Molly." He put the pipe back into his pocket, and the cloud around him vanished.

"If you want dinner before midnight, I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley continued, looking around the room. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry, dear. You've had a long journey—"

"What can I do, Molly?" Tonks volunteered, looking eager.

"Er—no, it's all right, Tonks," Mrs. Weasley said. "You have a rest, too. You've done enough today—"

"No, no, I want to help!" Tonks insisted. She knocked over a chair on her way towards where the dishes were kept.

Mrs. Weasley set them all to work. Mr. Weasley supervised the knives that were magically cutting up the meat and vegetables. Mrs. Weasley watched over a cauldron that hung over the fire. Lucy helped the others to set the table with plates, goblets, and other food. Harry remained at the table with Mundungus and Sirius.

"Seen old Figgy since?" Mundungus asked Harry.

"No," Harry replied, "I haven't seen anyone."

"See, I wouldn't 'ave left," Mundungus said, "but I 'ad a business opportunity—"

"Had a good summer so far?" Sirius interrupted.

"No, it's been lousy," Harry answered bluntly.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself," Sirius said.

"_What_?" Harry said.

"Personally, I'd have welcomed a dementor attack," Sirius said. "A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad… at least you've been able to get out and about—stretch your legs—get into a few fights.… I've been stuck inside for a month."

"How come?" Harry asked.

"Well, the Ministry of Magic's still after me," Sirius replied, "and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now—Wormtail will have told him—so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix—or so Dumbledore feels."

"At least you've known what's been going on," Harry said.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said with a sarcastic bite to his tone. "Listening to Snape's reports—having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my ass here, having a nice, comfortable time—asking me how the cleaning's going—"

"What cleaning?" Harry asked.

"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," Sirius said. "No one's lived here for ten years—not since my dear mother died—unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone 'round the twist. He hasn't cleaned anything in ages—"

"Sirius?" Mundungus piped up, holding a goblet in his hands. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Yes," Sirius replied with disgust. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That'd come off, though," Mundungus said thoughtfully, and Lucy rolled her eyes at him.

"Fred—George—NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

Lucy turned to see the cauldron—now full of stew—along with a bottle of butterbeer and a breadboard with a knife, flying through the air. The cauldron landed roughly on the table and skidded the entire length before coming to a stop just before it could topple off. The bottle of butterbeer crashed onto the floor, sending liquid everywhere. The knife fell off the breadboard and landed into the table where Sirius's hand had been a second before.

Harry and Sirius were both standing a foot away from the table, while Mundungus had fallen backwards off his chair.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "THERE WAS NO NEED—I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS—JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" Fred said defensively. He hurried over to the table and pulled the knife out of the wood, saying, "Sorry, Sirius, mate—didn't mean to—"

Harry and Sirius, however, were both howling with laughter. Mundungus got up off the floor, muttering various swear words under his breath.

Mr. Weasley picked up the cauldron of stew and set it in the center of the table. "Boys," he said calmly, turning to the twins, "your mother's right. You're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age—"

"None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley continued, enraged. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't Charm everything he met! Percy—!" She stopped very suddenly, looking upset.

"Let's eat," Bill cut in, watching his mother warily.

"It looks wonderful, Molly," Remus added, spooning some stew into a bowl and passing it to her.

Everyone took that as their cue to sit down. Remus passed out more bowls of stew, and there was silence as everyone began their dinner.

"I've been meaning to tell you," Mrs. Weasley said to Sirius, "there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room. It keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like," Sirius said.

"The curtains in there are full of doxies, too," Mrs. Weasley continued. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Sirius said in a bored voice.

Next to them, Hermione and Ginny were being entertained by Tonks. Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, which meant she could change her physical appearance at will, and she was changing her nose into different shapes. Hermione and Ginny were soon asking for their favorites.

Meanwhile, Lucy was listening to the conversation going on between Mr. Weasley, Remus, and Bill, who were talking about goblins.

"They're not giving anything away yet," Bill was saying. "I still can't work out whether they believe he's back or not. 'Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all—keep out of it, you know."

"I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who," Mr. Weasley said. "They've suffered losses, too. Remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"

"I think it depends what they're offered," Remus said. "And I'm not talking about gold; if they're offered freedoms we've been denying them for centuries, they're going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"

"Who's Ragnok?" Lucy asked with interest.

"He's one of the goblins I work with at Gringotts," Billy replied. "And he's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment. He hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business—he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up—those goblins never got their gold from him—"

Loud laughter distracted Lucy from the goblin conversation, and she looked over at where Fred, George, Ron, and Mundungus were sitting. Mundungus was telling them a story.

"—and then," Mundungus said, having trouble talking through his laughter, "and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, _'ere Dung, where didja get all them fucking toads from? 'Cos some son of a Bludger's gone and nicked all mine!_ And I says, _nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So, you'll be wanting some more, then?_ And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for twice what 'e paid in the first place—!"

"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus," Mrs. Weasley called from her end of the table as her sons howled with laughter.

"Beg pardon, Molly," Mundungus said, "but, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place. So I wasn't really doing nothing wrong—"

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Mundungus just shrugged and swallowed some more butterbeer.

**~LJ:NK~**

After everyone finished with their main course, Mrs. Weasley brought out some rhubarb crumble and custard for dessert. They all helped themselves to as much as they could manage, and soon Lucy was yawning.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Not just yet, Molly," Sirius said, looking at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

Lucy looked up, intrigued yet wary of Harry's reaction. She didn't feel tired anymore.

"I did!" Harry said. "I asked Ron, Hermione, and Lucy, but they said we're not allowed in the Order—"

"They're quite right," Mrs. Weasley said through clenched teeth. "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" Sirius shot back. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happening."

"Hang on!" George spoke up indignantly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" Fred asked.

"_We've_ been trying to get stuff out of you for a month, and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" George cried.

"_You're too young. You're not in the Order,_" Fred sneered, imitating his mother's voice. "Harry's not even of-age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," Sirius said. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand—"

"It's not down to _you_ to decide what's good for Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he _needs to know_," Mrs. Weasley replied.

Everyone was looking back and forth between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he _needs to know_, Molly," Sirius replied. "However, as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back, he has more right than most to—"

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" Mrs. Weasley said, her face red. "He's only fifteen, and—!"

"He's dealt with as much as most in the Order," Sirius countered, "and more than some—"

"No one's denying what he's done!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "He's still—"

"He's not a child!" Sirius said, losing his patience.

"He's not an adult, either!" Mrs. Weasley argued. "He's not _James_, Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," Sirius said, his eyes hard.

"I'm not sure you are!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with that?" Harry cut in.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are _not_ your father, however much you might look like him!" Mrs. Weasley responded. "You are still at school, and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said, "which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home."

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!" Sirius snapped.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley cried, wheeling around to look at her husband. "Arthur, back me up!"

Mr. Weasley didn't answer right away. He took his glasses off and cleaned them, carefully looking away from his wife. He replaced his glasses on his nose before speaking. "Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in to a certain extent now that he is staying at headquarters."

"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Personally," Remus cut in, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts—not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture—from us, rather than a garbled version from… others."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley stammered, looking around for someone who supported her, "well… I can see I'm going to be overruled. But I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart—"

"He's not your son," Sirius pointed out.

"He's as good as," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said. "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Sirius stood up swiftly.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," Remus said. "Sirius, sit _down_."

Mrs. Weasley was quiet, and Sirius returned to his chair.

"I think Harry ought to be allowed to have a say in this," Remus added. "He's old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry insisted.

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny—Ron—Hermione—Lucy—Fred—George—I want you out of this kitchen, _now_."

This last statement didn't go over so well.

"We're of-age!" Fred and George shouted at the same time.

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" Ron cried.

"Mum, I _want_ to!" Ginny whined.

Lucy looked helplessly at Sirius, who shrugged minutely at her.

"NO!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I absolutely forbid—!"

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," Mr. Weasley said. "They _are_ of-age—"

"They're still at school!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"But they're legally adults now," Mr. Weasley replied.

"I—oh, all right, then," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Fred and George can stay, but Ron—!"

"Harry'll tell me, Hermione, and Lucy everything you say anyway!" Ron interrupted. "Won't—won't you?" he asked, glancing to his friend.

"'Course I will," Harry replied.

"Fine!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "Fine! Ginny—BED!"

She ushered her daughter out of the room, who was yelling that it was unfair that she couldn't stay. Lucy wanted to let Ginny know that she and Hermione would tell Ginny everything when they went up to bed, but she couldn't say that in front of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny's yells woke up Mrs. Black's portrait, and Remus left the kitchen to stop the racket.

When Remus returned, Sirius looked at his godson. "Okay, Harry," he said, "what do you want to know?"

"Where's Voldemort?" Harry asked immediately. "What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news, and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet—no funny deaths or anything—"

"That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet," Sirius explained. "Not as far as we know, anyway—and we know quite a lot."

"More than he thinks we do, anyway," Remus added.

"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked.

"He doesn't want to draw attention to himself at the moment," Sirius replied. "It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up."

"Or rather, you messed it up for him," Remus said, smiling.

"How?" Harry asked.

"You weren't supposed to survive!" Sirius exclaimed. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back, but you survived to bear witness."

"And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore," Remus continued, "and you made sure Dumbledore knew at once."

"How has that helped?" Harry asked.

"Are you kidding?" Bill shot back. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!"

"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned," Sirius said.

"So, what's the Order been doing?" Harry asked.

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans," Sirius replied.

"How d'you know what his plans are?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea," Remus said, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate."

"What does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?" Harry asked.

"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," Sirius replied. "In the old days, he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him—his faithful Death Eaters—and a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one group he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters."

"So, you're trying to stop him getting more followers?" Harry guessed.

"We're doing our best," Remus said, nodding.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard," Bill answered. "It's proving tricky, though."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because of the Ministry's attitude," Tonks said. "You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened."

"But _why_?" Harry asked impatiently. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore—"

"Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem," Mr. Weasley said. "_Dumbledore_."

"Fudge is frightened of him, you see," Tonks said.

"Frightened of Dumbledore?" Harry echoed.

"Frightened of what he's up to," Mr. Weasley said. "You see, Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister of Magic."

"But," Harry began, "Dumbledore doesn't want—"

"Of course he doesn't," Mr. Weasley cut in. "He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job."

"Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is—a much more powerful wizard—and in the early days of his Ministry, he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice," Remus continued. "It seems that he's become fond of power now—and much more confident. He _loves_ being Minister of Magic. He's managed to convince himself that _he's_ the clever one, and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it."

"How can he think that?" Harry raged. "How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up—that _I'd_ make it all up?"

"Accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years," Sirius answered. "Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilize him."

"You see the problem," Remus went on. "While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort, it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the _Daily Prophet_ not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumor-mongering, so most of the Wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened. That makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters, if they're using the Imperius Curse."

"But you're telling people, aren't you?" Harry asked, almost desperately. "You're letting people know he's back?"

"Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass-murderer and the Ministry's put a ten-thousand-Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?" Sirius laughed without humor.

"I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community, either," Remus said. "It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf."

"Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off," Sirius continued. "And it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them."

"We've managed to convince a couple of people, though," Mr. Weasley said. "Tonks here, for one—she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage—Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too. He's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."

Harry started, "But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back—"

"Who said none of us was putting the news out?" Sirius asked. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"They're trying to discredit him," Remus said. "Didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_ last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true. He was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot—that's the Wizard High Court—and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do, as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards," Bill added, chuckling.

"It's no laughing matter," Mr. Weasley said. "If he carries on defying the Ministry like this, he could end up in Azkaban. The last thing we want is Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to, he's going to go cautiously for a while. If Dumbledore's out of the way—well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field."

Lucy shuddered at the thought.

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters, it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" Harry reasoned.

"Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry," Sirius said gently. "He tricks, jinxes, and blackmails them. He's well-practiced at operating in secrecy. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in. He's got other plans, too—plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on them at the moment."

"What's he after, apart from followers?" Harry asked.

"Stuff he can only get by stealth," Sirius replied vaguely. Harry frowned, looking confused, and Sirius added, "Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."

"When he was powerful before?" Harry clarified.

"Yes," Sirius replied.

"Like what kind of weapon?" Harry asked. "Something worse than the _Avada Kedavra_—?"

"That's enough," Mrs. Weasley said in a dangerous voice. Lucy jumped, not having noticed that the witch had returned, as Mrs. Weasley went on, "I want you in bed, now. All of you." She looked at the other school-aged people in the room.

Fred started, "You can't boss us—"

"Watch me," Mrs. Weasley interrupted angrily. "You've given Harry plenty of information. Anymore and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "I'll join! I want to join! I want to fight—!"

"No," Remus cut in. "The Order is comprised only of overage wizards. Wizards who have left school," he added before Fred or George could say anything. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you.… I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."

Sirius shrugged but didn't say anything, and Mrs. Weasley gestured for her sons, Lucy, and Hermione to get up. The kids obediently rose and started for the door.

"Thank you, Sirius," Lucy murmured to him when she passed.

"Good night, Lucy," Sirius said with a ghost of a smile on his face.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: This is a very book-heavy chapter, but I couldn't have Lucy not present for it.**_


	5. 5: The Black Family Tree

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 5 – The Black Family Tree**

"I want you all to go straight to bed. No talking," Mrs. Weasley said as she followed her children, Lucy, Harry, and Hermione up the stairs. "We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep, so try not to wake her up," she added to Lucy and Hermione when they reached the first landing.

"Good night," Lucy and Hermione said to the others, and they entered the bedroom.

When Hermione had shut the door behind them, Ginny sat straight up in her bed. "Tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"Shhh, Ginny," Lucy hushed her. "We'll tell you in a minute. Let us get dressed for bed first."

She and Hermione quickly pulled on their pajamas and crawled into their beds.

"Now can you tell me what the hell happened?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"Honestly, a lot of the things they mentioned was stuff we already knew," Lucy began in a whisper. "Fudge and the Ministry don't believe us, and they're doing everything they can to discredit Dumbledore and Harry. The Order is trying to recruit people to our side—not just witches and wizards, but also other magical creatures like goblins and giants."

"You-Know-Who's lying low because Harry wasn't supposed to survive," Hermione continued. "And he's also been recruiting people and creatures over to his side."

"I can't believe Mum wouldn't let me hear any of this," Ginny grumbled.

"The new piece of information is that You-Know-Who is after something other than troops for his army," Lucy said. "Sirius was very vague about it, but he said that You-Know-Who is after something like a weapon—something he didn't have last time."

"A weapon?" Ginny repeated, sounding puzzled.

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed suddenly.

The other two girls fell silent as they listened to feet coming back down the stairs. Whoever it was paused on the landing, obviously listening for talking. After a few moments, the person continued down the stairs.

"That was probably your mum," Hermione said quietly. "She told us she didn't want us to stay up talking."

"What kind of weapon could You-Know-Who be looking for?" Ginny asked.

"No idea," Lucy said. "You'd think that he wouldn't need one. He's got a wand; that's all the weapon a wizard needs, isn't it?"

"We should probably get to sleep," Hermione said. "Like Mrs. Weasley said, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"I suppose you're right," Lucy sighed. "Good night."

"Good night," came two voices on either side of Lucy.

Lucy pulled her covers up to her chin and fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

The following morning after breakfast, Lucy joined Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, and Ginny in the drawing room to begin decontamination. Mrs. Weasley first had them tie some cloths around their noses and mouths and gave them each a spray bottle full of black liquid.

"Cover your faces and take a spray," Mrs. Weasley instructed as Harry and Ron finally joined the rest of the group. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad—_what _that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years—"

"Kreacher's really old," Hermione spoke up indignantly. "He probably couldn't manage—"

"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," Sirius said as he entered the drawing room. He was carrying a bag full of rats. "I've just been feeding Buckbeak," he explained, mostly for Harry's benefit. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom. Anyway… this writing desk…" He set the bag of rats down and looked at the desk in question. "Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a boggart," he remarked, "but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out—knowing my mother, it could be something much worse."

"Right you are, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said.

There was a sound of a bell from somewhere downstairs, and Mrs. Black's portrait began to cause a ruckus again.

"I keep telling them not to ring the damn doorbell!" Sirius complained. He left the room to stop the screaming.

"Close the door, please, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said.

Harry went very slowly to do as she instructed. Lucy suspected that he was trying to overhear whoever had just arrived.

When Harry finally returned to the group, Mrs. Weasley turned to the book that was sitting open on the couch. "Right, you lot, you need to be careful. Doxies bite, and their teeth are poisonous," Mrs. Weasley informed them. "I've got a bottle of antidote here, but I'd rather nobody needed it." She stood up and gathered them around the curtains in the room. There was a loud buzzing noise coming from behind them.

"When I say the word, start spraying immediately," Mrs. Weasley continued. "They'll come flying out at us, I expect, but it says on the sprays that one good squirt will paralyze them. When they're immobilized, just throw them in this bucket."

They all lined up with their bottles pointed to the curtains.

"All right—_squirt_!"

They all began spraying at the curtains. Doxies flew out of them, flying angrily towards their attackers. Lucy quickly sprayed two in their faces, and they both became paralyzed and fell to the floor. She picked them up and tossed them into Mrs. Weasley's bucket.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Spray that at once and throw it away!"

Fred was holding a doxy up, studying it as it struggled to get free. "Right-o," he said, squirting the doxy directly in the face.

The doxy was paralyzed immediately, but Lucy saw Fred pocket the creature instead of throwing it into the bucket. Lucy shook her head and continued to spray doxies out of the air.

**~LJ:NK~**

The spraying took a few hours, and finally Mrs. Weasley told them they could take their masks off. The curtains were now silent and damp from all the spray, and the paralyzed doxies were sitting in the bucket on the floor. There was also a bowl full of doxy eggs that they had discovered.

"I think we'll tackle _those_ after lunch," Mrs. Weasley said, pointing at a set of cabinets, which looked like they were full of odds and ends.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang again, and Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Stay here," she told them all. "I'll bring up some sandwiches." She left the room, shutting the door behind her, and everyone else ran to the windows to look at the front stoop.

"Mundungus!" Hermione exclaimed.

Lucy looked down to the front door to see the man with his arms full. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?" she asked.

"Probably looking for a safe place to keep them," Harry said. "Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Fred said.

Below, the front door opened, and Mundungus disappeared inside.

"Blimey, Mum won't like that…" George muttered. He and Fred scampered across the room and pressed their ears up to the door; Mrs. Black's screams could no longer be heard.

"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred reported as he listened. "Can't hear properly—d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"

"Might be worth it," George replied. "I could sneak upstairs and get a pair—"

Then Mrs. Weasley began shouting at the top of her voice, and there was no need for Extendable Ears to hear what she was saying. "WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!" she screamed.

"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," Fred said, opening the door a crack so they could hear better. "It makes such a nice change."

"—COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE," Mrs. Weasley continued to shriek. "AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE!"

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," George said. "You've got to head her off early, otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours. _And_ she's been fucking _dying_ to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry—and there goes Sirius's mum again.…"

He went to push the door shut, but before he could close it, Kreacher was able to shuffle inside. "Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot," Kreacher was mumbling to himself. "And she's no better—nasty old blood traitor with her brats, messing up my Mistress's house.… Oh, my poor Mistress, if she knew—if she knew the scum they've let in her house—what would she say to old Kreacher? Oh, the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves.… Poor old Kreacher, what can he do…?"

"Hello, Kreacher," Fred said, catching the elf's attention.

Kreacher stopped for a moment and then pretended to be surprised. "Kreacher did not see Young Master," he said. He bowed low to Fred but muttered darkly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is."

"Sorry?" George said. "Didn't catch that last bit."

"Kreacher said nothing," the elf said, giving George a bow, but then he said, again to the carpet, "and there's its twin—unnatural little beasts they are."

Lucy shook her head but said nothing to Kreacher, who stood up straight again.

"—and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass," Kreacher continued under his breath. "Oh, if my Mistress knew—oh, how she'd cry—and there's a new boy; Kreacher doesn't know his name. What is he doing here? Kreacher doesn't know—"

"This is Harry, Kreacher," Hermione introduced. "Harry Potter."

Kreacher's eyes widened. "The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend," he said in a panicked voice. "If Kreacher's Mistress saw him in such company, oh, what would she say—?"

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" Lucy, Ron, and Ginny all snapped at the elf.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said. "He's not in his right mind. He doesn't know what he's saying—"

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione," Fred interrupted her. "He knows _exactly_ what he's saying."

Kreacher wasn't listening to them. Instead, he was examining Harry. "Is it true?" Kreacher asked himself. "Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar—it must be true. That's that boy who stopped the Dark Lord. Kreacher wonders how he did it.…"

"Don't we all, Kreacher?" Fred sighed.

"What do you want, anyway?" George asked.

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf replied.

"A likely story," Sirius said, returning to the drawing room. Kreacher jumped and then bowed very low to the ground at the sight of his master, and Sirius told the elf, "Stand up straight. Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," Kreacher repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black—"

"And it's getting blacker every day," Sirius said. "It's filthy."

"Master always liked his little joke," Kreacher said. Then he began to mutter again, saying, "Master was a nasty, ungrateful swine, who broke his mother's heart—"

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius said. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

"Whatever Master says," Kreacher said, bowing once more. Then he snarled darkly, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots. Oh, my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him? How she hated him—what a disappointment he was—"

"I asked you what you were up to," Sirius said. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room, so we can't throw it out."

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," Kreacher said. Then he muttered, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out. Seven centuries it's been in the family. Kreacher must save it—Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it.…"

"I thought it might be that," Sirius said, looking at the wall on the other side of the room from the window. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt. If I _can_ get rid of it, though, I certainly will. Now, go away, Kreacher."

"—comes back from Azkaban, ordering Kreacher around," Kreacher grumbled as he grudgingly and slowly left the room. "Oh, my poor Mistress—what would she say if she saw the house now? Scum living in it—her treasures thrown out—she swore he was no son of hers, and he's back. They say he's a murderer, too—"

"Keep muttering, and I will be a God damn murderer!" Sirius snapped, and he threw the door of the drawing room shut.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione said. "I don't think he realizes we can hear him."

"He's been alone too long," Sirius commented. "He's been taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little—"

"If you just set him free," Hermione said quickly, "maybe—"

"We can't set him free," Sirius said. "He knows too much about the Order. Anyway, the shock would kill him. _You_ suggest to him that he leaves this house; see how he takes it."

"If he died from shock, then he'd be out of the way, _and_ he couldn't tell anyone about the Order," Lucy suggested, chuckling.

Hermione gave her a hurt look, but Sirius let out a laugh. Then he strolled over to the tapestry that he had mentioned, and the others followed him. On the tapestry was a large family tree. It was very faded, and it looked as though the doxies—or something else—had tried to eat some of it. At the top was a label that read _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_, and directly under that was the phrase _Toujours Pur_.

"You're not on here!" Harry exclaimed, looking at the bottom of the tree.

"I used to be there," Sirius replied, gesturing to a small hole in the tapestry. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home—Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."

"You ran away from home?" Lucy asked interestedly.

"When I was about sixteen," Sirius answered. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" Harry asked.

"Your dad's place," Sirius replied, smiling. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen, I got a place of my own. My Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold—he's been wiped off here, too; that's probably why—anyway, after that, I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."

"But—why did you—?" Harry asked.

"Leave?" Sirius finished for him. "I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pureblood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal; my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them—that's him." He pointed at the spot next to where his name used to be. The name Regulus Black was printed there, along with the dates of his birth and death. "He was younger than me," Sirius added, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"But he died," Lucy said, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Stupid idiot—he joined the Death Eaters."

"You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed.

"Come on, Harry; haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" Sirius asked.

"Were—were your parents Death Eaters, as well?" Harry asked.

"No, no," Sirius said, shaking his head, "but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea. They were all for the purification of the Wizarding race—getting rid of Muggleborns and having purebloods in charge. They weren't alone, either. There were quite a few people—before Voldemort showed his true colors—who thought he had the right idea about things.… They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no," Sirius said. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort—or on Voldemort's orders, more likely. I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far and then panicked about what he was being asked to do. So, he tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."

"Lunch!" Mrs. Weasley called from the doorway. She was carrying a tray full of sandwiches and cake, and she still looked quite angry about Mundungus and his cauldrons.

The Weasleys and Hermione went over to get their food, but Lucy and Harry stayed with Sirius by the tapestry.

"I haven't looked at this in _years_," Sirius said as he examined the tapestry more closely. "There's Phineas Nigellus—my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had.… Araminta Meliflua—cousin of my mother's—tried to force through a Ministry bill to make Muggle-hunting legal—and dear Aunt Elladora.… She started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays.… Of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway _decent_, they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her—he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him.…"

Lucy began to look over other parts of the family tree, wondering if Jeremy's family would be on it somewhere.

"You and Tonks are related?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said. "Her mother, Andromeda, was my favorite cousin. No, Andromeda's not on here either, look.…" He pointed to another hole that was between the names Bellatrix and Narcissa. "Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable, pureblood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggleborn, Ted Tonks, so—" He pretended to point a wand at the tapestry and blast a name off.

"You're related to the Malfoys!" Harry said, pointing at the name next to Narcissa, which was Lucius Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was underneath them.

"The pureblood families are all interrelated," Sirius said dismissively. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods, your choice is very limited. There are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage, and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here," Sirius added. "If ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors, it's the Weasleys."

"Ha!" Lucy said, finally finding the name she was looking for. "Look, here's Jeremy and his family.…" She pointed to where the Whitlocks were listed on the other side of the tree.

"I didn't even think that your boyfriend might be on this thing," Sirius said. "Very interesting."

"Lestrange…" Harry said, looking at the name Bellatrix.

"They're in Azkaban," Sirius replied. "Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch, Junior. Rodolphus's brother, Rabastan, was with them, too."

Harry started, "You never said she was your—"

"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" Sirius interrupted hotly. "As far as I'm concerned, _they're_ not my family. _She's_ certainly not my fucking family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming in to Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having relatives like her?"

"Sirius," Lucy said softly.

"Sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean—I was just surprised, that's all.…"

"It doesn't matter. Don't apologize," Sirius said. He turned his back on the tapestry.

"I don't like being back here," he explained. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again. It's ideal for headquarters, of course. My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind on it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call—as if they'd have wanted to—and now Dumbledore's added his protection. You'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know—nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is—that note Moody showed you last night—that was from Dumbledore.… If my parents could see the use it was being put to now.… Well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea.…"

He let out a sigh and added, "I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something _useful_. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing—as Snuffles, obviously—so I can give you a bit of moral support. What d'you think?"

Harry didn't say anything. Instead, he looked over at where all the others were having lunch.

"Don't worry," Sirius said, and Harry turned back to him. "I'm sure they're going to clear you. There's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

"Yeah, Harry. It'll be okay," Lucy said, smiling.

"But if they do expel me," Harry mumbled, "can I come here and live with you?"

"We'll see," Sirius replied.

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys," Harry added, sounding hopeful.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place," Sirius said.

"Hurry up, you three, or there won't be any food left," Mrs. Weasley said loudly, looking at the three of them.

They obediently went over to the tray to get some sandwiches.

**~LJ:NK~**

After lunch, they began to empty out the cabinets. It was a lot more difficult than Lucy had thought it would be, as many of the objects seemed to want to stay put. The first thing Sirius attempted to pull out was a snuffbox, and it bit his hand, turning it dark and crusty.

"It's okay," Sirius assured the others, examining his hand before waving his wand over it and returning it to normal. "There must be Wartcap powder in there." Then he tossed the box into a large sack that was full of all the things they were going to throw out.

There were many other interesting objects in the cabinets, as well. There was a silver instrument that crawled up Harry's arm as soon as he'd picked it up. Sirius grabbed it, threw it down onto the floor, and smashed it with a book called _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_. There was also a music box, which they opened to hear what it sounded like. A few minutes later, they were practically falling asleep when Ginny quickly shut it, and the music ceased. Next was a locket that none of them could open, a pile of old seals, and an Order of Merlin, First Class, which had belonged to Sirius's grandfather.

"It means he gave them loads of gold," Sirius sneered, tossing the medal into the sack with everything else.

They were doing very well with the cleaning. The only hindrance was Kreacher, who kept coming into the room to try and smuggle things out of their garbage sack. They caught him every time, and he would mutter darkly as he retreated from the room again. The last thing he tried to steal was a large gold ring with the Black family crest on it, and Sirius had to practically wrestle it out of Kreacher's hands. Kreacher burst into tears and ran from the room.

"It was my father's," Sirius explained, dropping the ring back into the garbage sack. "Kreacher wasn't _quite_ as devoted to him as to my mother, but I still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last week."

**~LJ:NK~**

The next few days were just like the rest of the summer had been for Lucy and the Weasleys, except now Harry was with them, as well. They finished the drawing room in three days, and then set to work on the next room.

The doorbell rang many times a day, bringing in members of the Order. Lucy, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley kids were constantly trying to eavesdrop to find out any information they could, but Mrs. Weasley would call them back to their work before they could hear anything good.

Most of the time, whoever had rung the bell only stayed for a little while, but sometimes they stayed longer. Tonks spent an afternoon helping them with a ghoul they had found in one of the upstairs bathrooms, and Remus helped to fix an old grandfather clock. Even Mundungus helped out for a little while one day, saving Ron from being strangled by a set of old robes .

Then, on Wednesday evening at dinner, they were all reminded of Harry's hearing.

"I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "and I want you to wash your hair tonight, too. A good first impression can work wonders."

Lucy stopped eating and looked at her brother.

"How am I getting there?" Harry asked, trying to appear calm.

"Arthur's taking you to work with him," Mrs. Weasley replied.

"You can wait in my office until it's time for the hearing," Mr. Weasley added from across the table.

Harry glanced at Sirius.

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you," Mrs. Weasley said at once, "and I must say, I—"

"—think he's _quite right_," Sirius finished for her, looking upset.

"When did Dumbledore tell you that?" Harry asked.

"He came last night when you were in bed," Mrs. Weasley replied.

There was a tense silence, and Mrs. Weasley took that as her cue to hustle them all off to bed. "I know it seems early, but there is a small meeting tonight," she explained as she herded the seven kids up the stairs. "You don't have to go to bed right away, but don't stay up too late."

Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny entered their room and changed into their pajamas.

"Do you think they'll expel Harry?" Ginny asked at once.

"Hard to say," Lucy said. "I mean, Hermione and Sirius have both said that there are laws protecting underage witches and wizards so that they can do magic in emergency situations."

"Do you think they'll believe Harry about the dementors?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. "After all, they only know that Harry did magic, but they don't know _why_ he did it. The dementors are supposed to be under Ministry control. How would they ever explain two dementors being away from Azkaban?"

"Dunno," Lucy said. "Are there _wild_ dementors around? Ones that _aren't_ under Ministry control?"

"I suppose it could be possible," Hermione said slowly, "but I'm sure the Ministry believes they have _all_ the dementors under control—at least, all of the ones in Britain."

"Poor Harry," Ginny said sadly. "Well, if he _is_ expelled, hopefully he'll be able to come back here, and he won't be sent back to his Muggle family."

With that, the girls became silent. Hermione and Ginny chose to sit in bed and read, and Lucy laid back onto her pillow. The next day was bound to be a very interesting day, indeed.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Not sure why the adults thought that none of the other kids would tell Ginny what they heard...**_

_**I always liked the idea that Jeremy and his family would be on the Black family tree, since the pureblood families are all interrelated.**_


	6. 6: He Got Off

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 6 – He Got Off**

Lucy woke up very early the next morning, while Hermione and Ginny were still asleep. Instead of trying to go back to sleep, Lucy decided to get out of bed. She quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a comfy sweatshirt and left the bedroom.

Going downstairs, she entered the kitchen to find Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley sitting at one end of the table.

"Morning, Lucy," Remus said, sounding surprised.

"Good morning," Lucy greeted them.

Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen behind Lucy, and she was also surprised to see the girl. "Are you sure you don't want to get any more sleep, Lucy?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, I'm okay," Lucy replied. "Just feeling a little anxious for Harry." She looked at Sirius, who was giving her a knowing look.

Mrs. Weasley walked around the table to sit next to her husband.

"Good morning, dear," Mr. Weasley said, pecking his wife on the cheek. Then he looked at Lucy and asked, "Would you like some tea, Lucy?" He gestured to the teapot on the table.

Lucy sat down next to Sirius and helped herself to some tea. There was very little talking as the six of them drank their tea. Tonks in particular seemed exhausted.

Soon, Harry joined them, looking tired and nervous.

Mrs. Weasley jumped up from her seat as soon as he entered. "Breakfast," she trilled. She went to the fire and started it with her wand.

"M-m-morning, Harry," Tonks yawned. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"I've b-b-been up all night," she explained through another yawn. "Come and sit down.…" She pulled out a chair for Harry, and he sat in it.

"Good morning, Harry," Lucy said, smiling at her brother, and he nodded back at her.

"What do you want, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked from the fire. "Porridge? Muffins? Kippers? Bacon and eggs? Toast?"

"Just—just toast, thanks," Harry said.

Mrs. Weasley set to work on his breakfast, and Remus cleared his throat, looking at Tonks.

"What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" he asked.

"Oh… yeah…" Tonks said, frowning. "Well, we need to be a bit more careful. He's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions.…"

Lucy watched Harry from the corner of her eye as she sipped her tea, not paying attention to the conversation happening at the table. Mrs. Weasley put a plate of toast in front of Harry, who tried to eat it. Then Mrs. Weasley began to fuss with Harry's shirt, attempting to smooth out any creases.

"I'll have to tell Dumbledore I can't do night duty tomorrow. I'm just t-t-too tired," Tonks was saying, pulling Lucy's attention back to her.

Lucy wondered what she meant by _night duty_. It sounded as though the Order was guarding something other than Harry, after all.

"I'll cover for you," Mr. Weasley volunteered. "I've got a report to finish anyway.…" Then he turned to Harry and asked, "How are you feeling?" Harry only shrugged, and Mr. Weasley went on, "It'll all be over soon. In a few hours' time, you'll be cleared. The hearing's on my floor in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and she's the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," Tonks added. "She's fair. She'll hear you out."

Harry nodded.

"Don't lose your temper," Sirius added bluntly. "Be polite and stick to the facts."

"The law's on your side," Remus reminded him gently. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

Harry let out a gasp, and Lucy looked over at him to see Mrs. Weasley trying to tame his hair with a wet comb.

"Doesn't it ever lie flat?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sounding frustrated, and Harry shook his head, sending water drops onto the table.

"I think we'll go now," Mr. Weasley said, looking at his watch. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off there than hanging around here."

"Okay," Harry agreed, standing up from the table.

"You'll be all right, Harry," Tonks said, patting Harry's arm.

"Good luck," Remus chimed in. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"If it's not," Sirius said gruffly, "I'll see to Amelia Bones for you.…"

Lucy stood up and hugged Harry tightly. "Everything will be okay," she muttered to him.

Harry hugged her back but said nothing.

Then Mrs. Weasley hugged him, as well. "We've all got our fingers crossed," she told him.

"Right," Harry said. "Well… see you later, then." He followed Mr. Weasley from the room.

"Sirius," Lucy began as soon as Harry had left, "if Harry _does_ get expelled, you're not going to let him go back to that Muggle family of his, are you? He can stay here with you, can't he?"

"I don't know, Lucy," Sirius replied, sounding miserable at the thought of Harry having to leave again.

"Do you think he'll be expelled?" Lucy asked, looking between Remus and Tonks.

"He shouldn't be," Tonks said. "There were dementors attacking him, so he fought back. He had to use magic to save his own life.…"

"But?" Lucy prompted, knowing that the adults in the room weren't completely speaking their minds.

"_But_ the Ministry is doing everything in their power to discredit Dumbledore and Harry," Remus said. "There's a chance that they'll try to use an expulsion to show that Harry is unstable."

"Some justice system," Lucy muttered darkly.

"Fudge is just scared of losing his power," Sirius said. "Of course he's going to do anything he can to hold onto it. Thankfully, the decision isn't only up to him."

"This ruling could go either way," Tonks added sadly.

"We need to take our minds off this," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "There's nothing we can do except wait. Would any of you like anything for breakfast?"

**~LJ:NK~**

It was at least another hour before the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione had woken up and eaten breakfast. They were all very anxious to hear what had happened before Harry left, even if there wasn't much for Lucy to tell them.

Mrs. Weasley kept them very busy that morning, to keep them distracted. They managed to finish cleaning another bathroom by lunchtime, so Mrs. Weasley decided to have lunch down in the kitchen. That's where they were when Mr. Weasley escorted Harry back into the house.

"Well?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously as her husband and Harry entered the room.

Everyone else became silent, waiting with held breath.

"I got off," Harry replied, grinning.

There was an uproar of cheering. Lucy launched herself at Harry and wrapped him in a hug. Fred and George began a little dance in the middle of the kitchen, and Ginny joined them mere seconds later.

"_He got off! He got off! He got off!_" they chanted gleefully.

"I _knew_ it!" Ron cried. "You _always_ get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," Hermione said, looking appeased. "There was no case against you—none at all—"

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," Harry teased.

"_He got off! He got off! He got off!_"

"That's enough. Settle down!" Mr. Weasley said over the noise. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry—"

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"_He got off! He got off! He got off!_"

"Be quiet, you three!" Mr. Weasley said to his kids. "Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine. Then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," Sirius agreed. "We'll tell him; don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going," Mr. Weasley said. "There's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, because I'm covering for Tonks tonight. Oh, and Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner.…"

"_He got off! He got off! He got off!_"

"That's enough—Fred—George—Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said loudly after giving her husband a good-bye kiss. "Harry, dear, come—sit down and have some lunch. You hardly ate breakfast.…"

Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sat down at the table.

"Tell us exactly what happened!" Lucy requested as Mrs. Weasley bustled to finished preparing lunch.

So, Harry told them everything, from the hearing's time and place being changed to Dumbledore arriving with Mrs. Figg.

"'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," Ron said, dishing himself up some mashed potatoes that Mrs. Weasley had just put on the table.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," Harry agreed. Then, suddenly, he put his hand to his forehead.

"What's up?" Hermione asked.

"Scar," Harry said quietly so that only Lucy, Ron, and Hermione heard him. "It's nothing—it happens all the time now.…"

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a worried glance.

"I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know," Ron said eagerly.

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," Mrs. Weasley replied, putting a plate of chicken onto the table. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"_HE GOT OFF! HE GOT OFF! HE GOT OFF!_"

"SHUT UP!" Mrs. Weasley thundered.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next few days passed by in a happier blur. They were still decontaminating the house and trying to spy on Order meetings, but now everyone knew that Harry would be going back to Hogwarts with them in a few weeks. There was only one person who didn't seem as happy as the rest of them.

"I feel like Sirius has been avoiding me lately," Harry confessed to Lucy, Hermione, and Ron one day while they were cleaning the bathroom on the third floor. "He's been spending a lot more time with Buckbeak and away from us. Do you think he's mad that I'm going back to school?"

"I'm sure he's not," Lucy said reassuringly. "Sirius knows that your education is important."

"Don't you go feeling guilty!" Hermione added. "You belong at Hogwarts, and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish."

"That's a bit harsh, Hermione," Ron said. "You wouldn't want to be stuck inside _this_ house without company, would you?"

"He'll have company!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."

"I don't think that's true," Harry replied. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."

"Yeah, he didn't give me one, either, when I asked him about it after Harry left for his hearing," Lucy added.

"Then he just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," Hermione said. "He probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together."

"Come off it!" Harry and Ron both said.

"Suit yourselves," Hermione said loftily, "but I sometimes think Ron's mum's right about Sirius getting confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."

"So you think he's touched in the head?" Harry asked testily.

"No," Hermione said simply, shaking her head.

"He's just been lonely for a long time," Lucy said. "And it doesn't help that you _are_ the spitting image of your father."

Mrs. Weasley came into the room and asked, "Still not finished?" She examined the cupboard they had been cleaning.

"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!" Ron cried incredulously. "D'you know how much mold we've got rid of since we arrived here?"

"You were so keen to help the Order, so you can do your bit by making headquarters fit to live in," Mrs. Weasley shot back. She turned and left the room again.

"I feel like a house-elf," Ron muttered.

"Well, now that you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in S.P.E.W.!" Hermione exclaimed. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time—we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room! All proceeds would go to S.P.E.W. It would raise awareness, as well as funds—"

"I'll sponsor you to shut up about _spew_," Ron said under his breath.

"What was that, Ron?" Lucy asked loudly, and Hermione looked at him curiously.

"Nothing," Ron replied, glaring at Lucy, who smirked back at him.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of Lucy's summer holiday was spent cleaning the house. Members of the Order continued to pass through, but Mrs. Weasley kept the Hogwarts-aged kids well away from any visitors. Lucy and the others couldn't get any more information from the adults.

On the last day of vacation, their Hogwarts letters finally arrived.

"Hey," Ginny said, entering the girls' bedroom that morning. She handed the other two girls their envelopes. "Hogwarts letters are here."

"Cutting it a bit short this year, aren't they?" Lucy asked, ripping hers open. There was the usual welcoming letter and the list of new supplies she would need.

"Ohhh!" Hermione squealed, emptying her envelope onto her bed. Along with her letter and list, there was a red and gold badge sitting on the bed. She picked it up and held it out for Ginny and Lucy to see. On the badge was a Gryffindor lion with a P.

"Hermione the prefect," Ginny commented, smiling. "Well, there's no surprise there. We all knew you'd get it. No offense, Lucy," she added, glancing at Lucy, who waved her off.

"That's perfectly okay," she said. "I have no interest in being prefect. There's one girl and boy from fifth year, though, right? Which boy do you think got it?"

"Probably Harry, right?" Ginny guessed. "I mean, he's Dumbledore's favorite."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Lucy said.

"I'm going to go see if he got it," Hermione said. "Coming, Lucy?"

"Yeah, sure," Lucy said. "Ginny?"

"No, you two go on ahead," Ginny said.

So, Lucy and Hermione left their room and went to Harry's and Ron's room. When they opened the door, they found Harry, Ron, Fred, and George all looking confused. Harry was holding a similar red and gold badge in his hand.

"Did you—did you get—?" Hermione asked breathlessly, looking at Harry. Her eyes zeroed in on the badge, and she cried, "I knew it! Me, too, Harry! Me, too!"

"No," Harry said, handing the badge over to Ron. "It's Ron, not me."

"What?" Lucy asked, looking at Fred and George.

"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry repeated.

"_Ron_?" Hermione asked. "But—are you sure? I mean…" She trailed off, looking at Ron.

"It's my name on the letter," Ron said indignantly.

Hermione stammered, "I-I—well—wow! Well done, Ron! That's really—"

"Unexpected," George finished for her.

"No," Hermione insisted, although she was blushing. "No, it's not.… Ron's done loads of—he's really—"

The door to the bedroom opened, cutting her off.

Mrs. Weasley came in, carrying freshly washed school robes. "Ginny said the book lists had come at last," she said, sorting through the robes to find Harry's and Ron's. "If you give them to me, I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas; these are at least six inches too short. I can't believe how fast you're growing—what color would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said.

"Match his what?" Mrs. Weasley asked, distracted.

"His _badge_," Fred repeated. "His lovely, shiny, new _prefect's badge_."

Mrs. Weasley looked around at her sons, bewildered. "His—but—Ron, you're not—?" she spluttered. Ron held the badge up so his mother could see it, and she let out a shriek. "I don't believe it!" she exclaimed. "I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how _wonderful_! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next door neighbors?" George demanded in annoyance.

But Mrs. Weasley only had eyes for Ron, and she grabbed him and hugged him. "Wait until your father hears!" she cried. "Ron, I'm so proud of you! What wonderful news! You could end up the Head Boy, just like Bill and Percy! It's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry! I'm just thrilled—oh, _Ronnie_—!"

Fred and George both mimed throwing up.

"Mum—don't—Mum, get a grip," Ron said as Mrs. Weasley began to kiss him all over his face.

"Well, what will it be?" Mrs. Weasley asked when she let go of him. "We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ron asked.

"You've got to have a reward for this!" Mrs. Weasley replied, beaming. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

"We've already bought him some," Fred said.

"Then maybe a new cauldron? Charlie's old one's rusting through—or a new rat! You always liked Scabbers," Mrs. Weasley continued.

Lucy snorted at the mention of Scabbers.

"Mum, can I have a new broom?" Ron asked, looking hopeful. Mrs. Weasley's smile fell from her face, and Ron added quickly, "Not a really good one! Just—just a new one for a change.…"

"Of _course_ you can," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling again. "Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy, too. I'll see you all later.… Little Ronnie, a prefect! Don't forget to pack your trunks.… A prefect—oh, I'm all of a dither!" She kissed Ron on the cheek and then left the room again.

"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked.

"We could curtsy, if you like," George added.

"Oh, shut up," Ron scowled.

"Or what?" Fred asked. "Going to put us in detention?"

"I'd love to see him try," George sniggered.

"He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione said.

Fred and George laughed meanly.

"Drop it, Hermione," Ron moaned.

"We're going to have to watch our step, George," Fred said, "with these two on our case—"

"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," George said sarcastically.

"Okay, enough," Lucy said, shaking her head. "Leave Ron and Hermione alone, you two."

"Only for you, Lu," George said, and he and Fred Disapparated.

"Those two!" Hermione said angrily, looking up at the ceiling. They could hear Fred and George laughing in the room one floor above them, and Hermione advised, "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron. They're only jealous!"

"I don't think they are," Ron replied. "They've always said only prats become prefects.… Still, they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose.… She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out. That'd be great—yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows.…" He hurried out of the room.

Harry, meanwhile, picked up the pile of clothes Mrs. Weasley had brought in for him and started to put things away in his trunk.

"Harry?" Hermione asked after an awkward silence.

"Well done," Harry said. "Brilliant. Prefect. Great."

"Thanks," Hermione said. "Erm—Harry—could I borrow Hedwig, so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased—I mean, prefect is something they can understand—"

"Yeah, no problem," Harry said. "Take her!"

Hermione crossed the room and called Hedwig to her. Then Hermione left, taking the owl with her, but Lucy stayed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked as soon as she and Harry were alone.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. He straightened up and looked at Lucy, who was watching him closely. "Really," he added. "I'm happy for them. They'll be great prefects."

Lucy just stared at him, not saying anything for a few more seconds. "Okay, if you don't want to tell me what's really going on in your head, you don't have to," she finally said. "Just a warning for you, though: I can read you like a book. So, if you ever need to talk about whatever it is…"

"Thanks," Harry said quietly.

Lucy watched him for a moment longer before she turned and left the room. When she got back to the girls' room, she found Ginny folding things to put in her trunk and Hermione bent over a piece of parchment, writing a letter to her parents.

"Did Hermione tell you the good news?" Lucy asked Ginny, sitting down on Ginny's bed and crossing her legs underneath her.

"Oh—no," Hermione said quickly, looking up. "I'm sorry. I was so excited to write to my parents." She bent back over her parchment.

"You won't mind if I tell her, then?" Lucy asked, smirking at the look of frustration on Ginny's face. Hermione shook her head, and Lucy continued to stall, saying, "Are you sure?"

"Just tell me!" Ginny exclaimed.

Lucy laughed. "We have another prefect in the house," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "but it isn't Harry."

Ginny's mouth fell open. "_Ron_?" she asked. "Ron's been made prefect?"

"You know, I'm not sure why everyone is so confused as to why Ron got it," Lucy said.

"Well, Harry's Dumbledore's favorite," Ginny echoed from her earlier statement. "Everyone figured he'd get it. Honestly, after Harry, I would've possibly picked Dean. He's gotten in far less trouble than Harry and Ron, he's not as clumsy as Neville, and he's a bit brighter than Seamus."

"I suppose I never thought about the other three," Lucy admitted.

**~LJ:NK~**

For the rest of the afternoon, the girls were packing their trunks for the journey back to school. Lucy was surprised to find how far her things had spread throughout the house. She had finally retrieved all her things by late afternoon, and she had her trunk mostly packed by the time Mrs. Weasley had returned from her trip to Diagon Alley.

"I've got your books and things, girls," Mrs. Weasley said, entering their room with her arms full of parcels. "Ginny, here are your things.… Hermione, here you are.… And Lucy, there you go. Don't bother opening anything up right now. We have guests arriving, and I'd like you all to head down to the kitchen."

The girls tossed their new things into their trunks and headed downstairs. They were joined by Harry, Ron, Fred, and George on the stairs, and when they entered the kitchen, they found a large banner hung above the table that said _Congratulations Ron and Hermione—New Prefects_.

"I thought we'd have a little party instead of a sit-down dinner," Mrs. Weasley explained to them. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron. I've sent them both owls, and they're _thrilled_."

Fred rolled his eyes, and Lucy elbowed him in the side.

Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Kingsley were already gathered in the kitchen. The Hogwarts students all helped themselves to butterbeer, and Moody joined them shortly after.

"Oh, Alastor, I'm glad you're here," Mrs. Weasley said to him in greeting. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages—could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it, just in case it's something really nasty."

"No problem, Molly," Moody said, turning his magical eye toward the ceiling. "Drawing room," he mused aloud. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it.… Yeah, it's a boggart.… Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself later," Mrs. Weasley replied, shaking her head. "You have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually.…" She pointed out the banner to him. "Fourth prefect in the family!" She ruffled Ron's hair, who groaned in annoyance.

"Prefect, eh?" Moody asked, looking at Ron. "Well, congratulations. Authority figures always attract trouble. I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes, or he wouldn't have appointed you.…"

"Cheerful," Lucy muttered to Ginny, who was standing next to her.

Bill and Mr. Weasley arrived next, both offering their congratulations to first Ron and then Hermione. They had also brought Mundungus with them, but Mrs. Weasley seemed too happy to mind.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," Mr. Weasley announced when everyone was gathered. He raised his own goblet and said, "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"

Hermione looked absolutely ecstatic, and Ron looked much happier than he had when Lucy had seen him earlier.

"I was never a prefect myself," Tonks said as everyone began to fill their plates with food. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"Like the ability to behave myself," Tonks replied.

Lucy and Ginny laughed, while Hermione accidentally took an extra-large swig of butterbeer and began to choke on it. Ginny smacked Hermione on the back a few times.

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked across the table.

Sirius let out a guffaw. "No one in their right mind would have made me prefect," he said. "I spent too much time in detention with James. Remus was the good boy; he got the badge."

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," Remus said dryly. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

Lucy and Ginny piled up their plates and took a seat against the wall.

"So, are you upset that you weren't chosen for prefect?" Ginny asked as they started eating.

"No," Lucy replied. "I mean, I always knew Hermione would get it. I think she deserves it. Did you see how happy she was? Besides, I'm perfectly happy with being just a regular student."

"You and me both, sister," Ginny said, chuckling.

**~LJ:NK~**

The party went on for quite some time. Mrs. Weasley was the first one to head out of the kitchen for bed, telling her husband to make sure the kids would go to bed at a decent time. Not long after that, Lucy saw Harry leave, as well.

Sirius, Remus, and Moody hurried out of the room a few minutes later.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked Mr. Weasley.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "It's probably nothing too exciting. Speaking of exciting, you kids ought to be heading up to bed soon, so you'll be nice and refreshed for the trip to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Aw, Dad," Ginny complained, "do we have to?"

"Yes, yes, I promised your mother I'd get you all up to bed at a decent time," Mr. Weasley said. "You can finish your drinks, but after that, I want you upstairs."

Lucy and Ginny gulped down the rest of their butterbeer and joined Hermione.

"Your brother has done nothing but talk about his new broomstick," Hermione told Ginny. "I think I've heard him mention how fast it can go about six times tonight."

"Can you blame him?" Ginny asked. "He's never really had anything new before, besides his wand and Pigwidgeon. I wish I could have a broomstick, too. I think there are openings on the Quidditch team this year, after all.…"

"Just Keeper," Lucy said. "I wonder who the Captain is going to be? Fred and George didn't get it, so it must be Angelina, Alicia, or Katie."

"Truthfully, I was hoping for less Quidditch talk with you two," Hermione moaned.

"Come on; let's go up to bed," Lucy said.

The three girls went around the room, saying good night to everyone who was still there, and then they climbed the stairs and entered their bedroom.

"This is our last night in this bedroom," Ginny pointed out as Hermione shut the door behind them. "I am more than ready to get back to my four-poster at school."

"Same here," Lucy said, going to her trunk and unwrapping the parcels Mrs. Weasley had gotten from Diagon Alley for her. She had the two new textbooks that had been on her list of supplies and also some more ink and potions ingredients.

"So, Hogwarts tomorrow," Ginny said, looking at Lucy. "Are you excited to see your boyfriend?"

Lucy blushed. "Yes," she stated.

Ginny giggled, and Hermione suppressed a grin.

"How about you?" Hermione asked the younger student. "Aren't you excited to see _your_ boyfriend?"

"Yes," Ginny replied, unembarrassed, "but I'm dating a Ravenclaw. Lucy's dating a Slytherin whose father is a Death Eater."

"Don't remind me," Lucy groaned. "What with Jeremy's father being a Death Eater and me being holed up here with limited mail, we've hardly been able to talk all summer."

"Well, you'll be reunited tomorrow!" Ginny said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, thankfully," Lucy said. She finished putting her new things away in her trunk and shut the lid. "I think I have everything. Even Evie." She turned to her bed where her black cat was curled up, snoozing away.

"I have to make sure I can find Crookshanks in the morning," Hermione said as she put a few last things into her trunk. "He hates traveling in that basket of his, and sometimes I think he'd much rather stay here with Sirius."

"He'll turn up in the morning," Lucy said. Then, as if on cue, they heard a scratching and meowing coming from the other side of the bedroom door. "Speak of the devil," Lucy added, and Evie lifted her head up sleepily.

Hermione went to the door and opened it, letting her cat Crookshanks saunter inside.

"Well, I think it's time to go to sleep," Ginny said, having changed into her pajamas. She got into her bed and sighed, "Tomorrow I'll be back in my four-poster."

Lucy giggled. She and Hermione also changed into their pajamas and got into their beds.

"Good night," Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny chorused to one another.

Lucy smiled, curling up around her cat, and quickly fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I'm sure it comes as no surprise that Lucy is not interested in being prefect and is happy for Hermione that she got it.**_


	7. 7: An Eccentric New Friend

_**A/N: Fun, random fact: tomorrow is my cat Ocelot's birthday. Happy birthday, buddy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 7 – An Eccentric New Friend**

The next morning was as hectic as it always was. Mrs. Weasley was running up and down the stairs, trying to wake all the Hogwarts students and get them ready to leave. She was quick to let them know that there was breakfast in the kitchen whenever they were ready for it.

"Good morning, Lucy," Remus said when Lucy entered the kitchen. Sirius, Mr. Weasley, and Moody were also in the room.

"Morning," Lucy said. "What's going on?"

"We're going to be leaving for the train station in groups," Moody explained. "Everyone's here except Sturgis Podmore."

"Which one's Sturgis Podmore again?" Lucy asked, picking up a slice of toast and taking a bite out of it.

"It doesn't matter," Moody said, shaking his head. "He's supposed to escort Harry with Molly and Tonks, and if he doesn't show up, we'll be a man short."

"Don't worry about it, Lucy," Mr. Weasley said kindly. "We'll manage. Is your trunk packed?"

"Yes, I finished it last night," Lucy replied.

"Good," Mr. Weasley said. "If you and the other girls could get your luggage down to the front door, it would be very helpful."

Lucy nodded, finished her toast, and went back upstairs to her room.

"Mr. Weasley says we need to get our luggage downstairs," she reported to Hermione and Ginny, who were throwing their pajamas into their trunks.

Together, they hauled down their trunks one by one. When they were finished, they went back upstairs, so Lucy and Hermione could grab their cats.

"I think that's everything," Hermione said, glancing around their room.

"We should probably get downstairs, then," Ginny said from the doorway. She stepped out onto the landing, adding, "We don't want Mum to get mad."

Suddenly, they heard a loud _bang,_ and Ginny let out a screech. Lucy and Hermione hurried out of the room and saw Ginny falling backwards down the stairs, having been knocked over by two flying trunks.

"Ginny!" Lucy shouted.

She and Hermione rushed after their friend, who bounced down the stairs and landed in the main hallway. The trunks landed dully on the floor on either side of her, and Mrs. Weasley let out a scream, causing the portrait of Mrs. Black to wake up.

"Ah, bollocks," a voice muttered.

Lucy looked up to see Fred and George slinking down the stairs. They went over to their sister to see if she was all right. Mrs. Weasley also ran over to her daughter and, upon seeing the guilty looks on the twins' faces, began to yell at them.

"—COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS—!" she hollered.

"—FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS—!" Mrs. Black was screaming in the background.

Mrs. Weasley began to mend Ginny's injuries, while still screaming at the twins, before Lucy and Hermione were distracted by Remus joining them, carrying Hedwig.

"Hedwig's brought you a letter, Hermione," he said over the yelling.

"Thank you," Hermione replied, taking the letter from Remus, and Hedwig flew over to Hermione's shoulder. "Come on; let's bring her up to Harry," Hermione added to Lucy, and the girls went back up the stairs to the room Harry and Ron had been sharing.

"Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back," Hermione reported as they entered the room, and Hedwig flew over to her cage, hooting at Harry.

"Are you ready yet?" Lucy asked.

"Nearly—Ginny all right?" Harry asked, putting his glasses on.

"Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," Hermione replied, nodding.

"But now Moody's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short," Lucy informed them.

"Guard?" Harry echoed. "We have to go to King's Cross with a _guard_?"

"_You_ have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Lucy replied.

"Why?" Harry asked impatiently. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in?"

"I don't know," Lucy replied sharply. "We're just doing what Moody says."

"It we don't leave soon, we're definitely going to miss the train…" Hermione moaned, glancing at her watch.

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE?" Mrs. Weasley's voice shouted at them.

Hermione jumped, turned, and hurried from the room. Lucy shrugged and followed her friend.

Everyone was squeezed together on the main floor of the house. Mrs. Black's portrait was still screaming, but nobody stepped forward to try and shut the curtains around her.

"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," Mrs. Weasley announced when Harry and Ron had joined them. "Leave your trunk and your owl. Alastor's going to deal with the luggage—oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius! Dumbledore said no!"

Lucy turned to see that Sirius had transformed into his Animagus form of a black dog and was standing next to Harry, his tail thumping against the wall. Harry and Sirius pushed through the crowd to get to the front door, and Sirius bumped Lucy's hand with his nose as he passed.

"Oh, honestly," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well, on your own head be it!" She opened the door and ushered Harry and Sirius outside.

"Are all the trunks here?" Moody asked, stepping forward. He had a hat pulled down low over his face to cover his magical eye.

He took out his wand and waved it, and the trunks in front of him were piled up into a neat stack, with the animal cages and carriers on top. Then Moody waved his wand again, and the trunks became invisible. Mr. Weasley opened the front door for Moody, who stepped outside and was gone.

They waited for another few minutes, and then Mr. Weasley said, "All right.… Girls, you'll be coming with me. Boys, you'll go with Remus and follow us in a couple minutes. Come on, girls."

Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny followed Mr. Weasley from the house. It was a fairly pleasant day out, which was a good thing, because it was a twenty-minute walk from the house to King's Cross. They were mostly quiet the entire way to the train station until they reached the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Hermione and Lucy, you two go first," Mr. Weasley directed.

Lucy looped her arm around Hermione's, and the girls marched forward and through the gate. Mr. Weasley and Ginny followed a few seconds after them, and the four of them looked around for the others.

"There they are!" Ginny said after a moment, pointing ahead of them.

Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Moody, and an old woman, who had to be Tonks in disguise, were just beginning to unload the trunks into the train. Mr. Weasley and the girls joined them, and just as they were finishing with the trunks, Remus, Fred, George, and Ron appeared.

"No trouble?" Moody asked Remus.

"Nothing," Remus replied.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," Moody said. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. He's getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

One last trunk was pushed into the train, and then it was time for the students to say their good-byes.

"Well, look after yourselves," Remus said, offering his hand to everyone.

Lucy was the only one who threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and he chuckled. "Be safe, Remus," she said to him.

"You, too," he said. Then he moved on to Harry, and he added, "Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," Moody said, shaking Harry's hand, as well. "Don't forget, all of you—be careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," Tonks said, hugging each of them them. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A whistle sounded overhead, a warning that the train was about to leave.

"Quick, quick," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging everyone at least once. "Write—be good—if you've forgotten anything, we'll send it on.… Onto the train, now, hurry.…"

Lucy squatted down and hugged Sirius briefly. "Good-bye, Snuffles," she murmured.

Sirius let out a bark. Then he turned to Harry and jumped up onto his hind legs, putting his front paws on Harry's shoulders.

Mrs. Weasley quickly broke them apart. "For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!" she hissed at the Animagus as Lucy and Harry hopped up onto the train.

"See you!" Harry yelled out the window as the train began to pull forward.

Lucy waved out the window, laughing as Sirius ran along the platform next to the train. After a few seconds, the station had disappeared from view.

"He shouldn't have come with us," Hermione said immediately.

"Oh, lighten up," Ron said. "He hasn't seen daylight for months, the poor bloke."

"Well," Fred piped up, "can't stand around chatting all day. We've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." He and George started off down the train to find their friends.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked, turning to the others.

Lucy nodded, but Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Er," Ron started, looking embarrassed.

"We're—well—Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said gently.

Ron was looking anywhere but at Harry.

"Oh," Harry said. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," Hermione was quick to add. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," Harry repeated.

Lucy looked at him curiously, wondering why he seemed so upset by the situation. "Well, we might see you later, then," she said, smiling at Hermione.

"Yeah, definitely," Ron said. "It's a pain having to go down there. I'd rather—but we have to—I mean, I'm not enjoying it. I'm not Percy."

"I know you're not," Harry said.

Lucy chuckled. Ron and Hermione said good-bye and started down to the front of the train.

"Come on," Ginny spoke up from behind Lucy and Harry. "If we get a move on, we'll be able to save them places."

"Right," Harry said.

They were about to head off when Lucy heard her name being called from behind her. She turned to see her boyfriend Jeremy Whitlock hurrying towards her. When he reached her, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard.

"Oy!" Ginny said loudly.

Lucy turned her head, her arms still around Jeremy's neck, to see Ginny grinning.

"Are you love-birds coming or not?" Ginny asked.

"Would you just give me a minute?" Lucy shot back, winking.

"C'mon, Harry," Ginny said, and she and Harry started down the train.

Lucy turned back to Jeremy, who immediately kissed her soundly on the lips.

"I missed you," he said, resting his forehead against hers. "This summer was awful."

"I missed you, too," Lucy said, smiling.

She pulled away from him so that she could look at him better. He looked even taller than he had when she last saw him a few months before, and his light brown hair seemed as though it had recently been cut.

"Come on," Lucy said after a moment. "Let's catch up with the others so we have somewhere to sit."

Jeremy agreed, and he helped her carry her trunk down to where Harry and Ginny were.

"Nice to see you again," Ginny teased when they caught up to her and Harry.

They all continued down the train until they reached the last compartment, where they found Neville standing in the corridor.

"Hi, Harry," he said. "Hi, Ginny, Lucy, Jeremy.… Everywhere's full—I can't find a seat—"

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, looking into the compartment next to them. "There's room in this one. There's only Loony Lovegood in here.…"

"I-I didn't want to disturb anyone," Neville muttered, blushing.

"Don't be silly," Ginny said. "She's all right." She opened the compartment door and went inside.

The others followed her, looking curiously at the girl who was sitting alone.

"Hi, Luna," Ginny greeted. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"

The girl looked around at the others before nodding.

"Thanks," Ginny added.

They took the next few minutes to store their trunks away. Lucy took Evie out of her carrier and let her roam around the compartment. Ginny and Neville sat down on the same side as Luna, while Lucy, Harry, and Jeremy sat opposite them.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked politely.

"Yes," Luna replied, watching Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. _You're_ Harry Potter."

"I know I am," Harry replied, and Lucy, Jeremy, and Neville snorted.

Luna looked around at them. "I don't know who any of you are," she commented.

"I'm nobody," Neville hurried to answered.

"No, you're not," Lucy and Ginny scolded him at the same time.

Ginny continued, "Neville Longbottom—Luna Lovegood. And this is Lucy Jones and Jeremy Whitlock. Luna's in my year but in Ravenclaw."

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_," Luna recited. Then she went back to reading her magazine, although she was holding it upside down, so Lucy wasn't sure if she was reading it or not.

**~LJ:NK~**

The train continued through the country, and there wasn't much talk for a while. Lucy pulled out her new Exploding Snap deck and played a few games with Jeremy. Being with him again seemed to dull her worries, at least for the time being.

Eventually, Neville spoke up. "Guess what I got for my birthday?" he asked.

"Another Remembrall?" Harry guessed.

"No," Neville replied. "I could do with one, though. I lost the old one ages ago.… No, look at this.…" He put his hand into his bag and pulled out a small plant. It looked like a tiny cactus, except it had boils instead of needles. "_Mimbulus mimbletonia_," he announced. The others looked warily at it, but Neville seemed rather proud. "It's really, really rare," he explained. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"Isn't your great-uncle Algie the one who accidentally dropped you out of a window when you were a child?" Lucy asked.

"What?" Jeremy yelped, bewildered.

"Yes," Neville replied. "He was trying to see if I had any magic in me. When he dropped me, I bounced all the way down the front walk, but I wasn't hurt."

Harry was still looking at the plant. "Does it—er—do anything?" he asked.

"Loads of stuff!" Neville replied. "It's got an amazing defense mechanism—here, hold Trevor for me.…" He dropped his toad into Harry's lap, who scrambled to grab it. Neville pulled a quill out of his bag, examined his plant for a moment, and then poked it with the quill.

Liquid exploded from the plant, covering the occupants of the compartment in smelly, dark green goo.

"Neville!" Lucy shrieked. She, Ginny, and Jeremy had managed to cover their faces, but Neville and Harry were soaked from head to toe.

"S-sorry," Neville said. "I haven't tried that before.… Didn't realize it would be so—don't worry, though. Stinksap's not poisonous.…"

Harry spat some of the Stinksap onto the floor.

The compartment door opened, and they all turned to see a girl standing in the doorway—Cho Chang, a sixth-year Ravenclaw. "Oh—hello, Harry," she said. "Um—bad time?"

Lucy could hardly imagine what the scene looked like from the outside, but she was too distracted by the Stinksap in her hair to give it much thought.

"Oh—hi," Harry said.

"Um," Cho stammered. "Well—just thought I'd say hello—'bye, then." She closed the door and walked away from their compartment.

Harry groaned loudly, tipping his head back against his seat.

"Never mind," Ginny said, pulling her wand out. "Look, we can get rid of all this easily. _Scourgify_!" The Stinksap vanished instantly.

"I really wish you would've thought of that a minute ago," Lucy muttered, combing her fingers through her hair, even though it was clean again.

"Sorry," Neville said quietly.

Lucy looked over at Harry. "What was that, by the way?" she asked.

"What?" Harry replied, handing Trevor the toad back to Neville.

"Cho Chang coming over to say hi to you," Lucy said. "Since when did Cho Chang come over to say hi to _you_?"

Harry flushed in embarrassment. "I don't know," he replied.

Lucy smirked at him but didn't say anything else about it.

**~LJ:NK~**

The food trolley came by some time later, and everyone got some snacks. Ron and Hermione joined them a little while after that.

"I'm starving," Ron announced, entering the compartment and flopping onto the seat in between Harry and Lucy. He took a Chocolate Frog from Harry, tore it open, and took a large bite out of the chocolate.

Hermione sat down between Neville and Ginny. "Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," she reported. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" Ron asked.

"Malfoy," Lucy and Harry presumed at the same time.

"'Course," Ron confirmed. "Dunno how _he_ could have gotten it; Jeremy, you should have gotten the prefect job."

"No, thank you," Jeremy said, chuckling.

"Also, that complete _cow_ Pansy Parkinson," Hermione continued scathingly. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll—"

"Wow, Hermione," Lucy said, looking at her friend. "Don't keep those feeling bottled up; let it all out."

"Who're Hufflepuff's?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hannah's very nice," Lucy said defensively, "and even though Ernie can be a bit irritating, he's a very good student."

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil are Ravenclaw prefects," Hermione finished.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," Luna spoke up from her corner.

Everyone looked over at her, and she was watching Ron with interest.

"Yeah, I know I did," Ron replied, sounding confused.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna said. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded. I don't like dancing very much." She went back to looking at her magazine, and Ron looked around at Ginny, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

After a moment, Ron informed the others, "We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often, and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something—"

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" Hermione scolded.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," Ron said.

"So you're going to descend to his level?" Hermione asked.

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine," Ron retorted.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "For Merlin's sake, Ron," she muttered.

"I'll make Goyle do lines," Ron continued gleefully. "It'll kill him. He fucking _hates_ writing." Then he mimicked Goyle's voice, saying, "_I—must—not—look—like—a—baboon's—backside—_"

Everyone laughed, even Hermione, but the one who laughed the most was Luna. They all looked at her warily as she continued to laugh far longer than the rest of them.

"That—was—_funny_!" she insisted between gasps for air, her magazine sliding from her knees to the floor of the compartment.

Lucy, Ginny, Jeremy, and Neville snickered at the look of shock on Ron's face.

"Are you taking the mickey?" Ron asked.

"Baboon's—backside!" Luna repeated, still laughing.

Suddenly, Harry reached forward and grabbed Luna's magazine from the floor. "Can I have a look at this?" he asked, looking very interested.

Luna nodded, still giggling at Ron's comment.

Lucy watched as Harry looked through the magazine, which Lucy could now see was called _The Quibbler_. Harry's almost eager face turned into one of confusion very quickly.

"Anything good in there?" Ron asked when Harry was done looking through it.

"Of course not," Hermione cut in. "_The Quibbler's_ rubbish. Everyone knows that."

Luna stopped laughing at once. "Excuse me," she said, her voice surprisingly hard. "My father's the editor."

"I—oh," Hermione said, flustered. "Well—it's got some interesting—I mean, it's quite—"

"I'll have it back, thank you," Luna said, ignoring Hermione's stammering and snatching the magazine from Harry's hands. She turned it upside down, rifled through a few pages, and then disappeared behind it again.

The compartment door opened again, and Malfoy and his friends Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were there.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you detention," Malfoy said, smirking. "You see, I—unlike you—have been made a prefect, which means that I—unlike you—have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but you—unlike me—are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

The rest of the compartment, except for Luna, laughed at this.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second best to Weasley, Potter?" Malfoy asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione snapped.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," Malfoy said. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps, in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" Lucy said sharply, standing up.

Malfoy laughed before leaving, and Crabbe and Goyle followed him obediently. Lucy slammed the door shut behind them. Then she looked around at Hermione and Harry, who both seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was: Malfoy's _dogging_ comment could only mean that he knew the black dog on the platform had been Sirius.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the train ride was spent mostly in silence, with sporadic conversations taking place for only a few minutes. It eventually grew dark outside, and the lamps were lit.

"We'd better change," Hermione spoke up eventually.

They all changed into their robes, and Hermione and Ron pinned their prefect buttons onto their chests.

When the train began to slow down, Hermione added, "Ron and I are supposed to make sure everyone gets off the train."

"We'll see you in a little bit, then," Lucy said, nodding.

Ron and Hermione hurried from the compartment to fulfill their prefect duties. The rest of them slowly made their way off the train and onto the Hogsmeade platform outside.

Students were shuffling along, and Lucy was surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank standing off to the side and calling first year students to her. Usually it was Rubeus Hagrid—Care of Magical Creatures professor and gamekeeper—who took the first years across the lake and up to the castle.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked, sounding slightly distressed.

"I don't know," Ginny replied, "but we'd better get out of the way. We're blocking the door.…"

"Oh, yeah…" Harry said.

They joined the crowd headed toward the carriages that would bring them up to the school.

"Jeremy!" a voice called from nearby.

Lucy and Jeremy turned to see Jeremy's friends Daphne Greengrass, Mary Poole, and Jake Fletcher walking towards them. Daphne and Mary were Slytherins, although Mary was a year younger than them, and Jake was a Ravenclaw.

"Where were you?" Jake asked when they were closer.

"I sat with Lucy on the train," Jeremy replied. "Why, did something happen?"

Jake let out a loud laugh. "You should have seen Daphne going after Pansy!" he chuckled.

"I didn't _go after_ her," Daphne said, shaking her head. "The bitch came into our compartment showing off her prefect badge and calling us Gryffindor-huggers. No offense, Lucy, but I'm no Gryffindor-hugger. I mean, I like _you_ just fine, but that doesn't mean I like everyone in your house."

"I understand completely," Lucy said. "_I_ don't even like everyone in my house." She and Daphne exchanged grins.

They reached the carriages, and Daphne, Jake, and Mary piled into one.

"Are you coming?" Mary asked.

"You can go ahead," Lucy said when Jeremy looked at her. "I'm going to go with the others." She gestured to where Harry, Ginny, and Luna were standing.

"All right," Jeremy said. "I'll talk to you later." He kissed her quickly, and his friends let out fake moans.

"If anything, _you're_ the Gryffindor-hugger, Whitlock!" Daphne said, laughing.

Jeremy hopped into the carriage with them, and it started down the path towards Hogwarts. Lucy trotted back over to her other friends. Hermione and Ron had rejoined them, and they were just piling into a carriage.

"What's up, Harry?" Lucy asked when she saw Harry's face.

He looked very confused, but he shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he mumbled.

Lucy shrugged and got into the carriage behind him, and they were soon on their way up to the school.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Lucy and Jeremy are reunited!**_

_**Daphne is still one of my favorite background characters. "I'm no Gryffindor-hugger." And she swears quite a bit, too, just as a heads up.**_


	8. 8: The Feast

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 8 – The Feast**

As soon as the carriage began its journey up to the castle, Ginny spoke up. "Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?" she asked. "What's she doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?"

"I'll be quite glad if he has," Luna said. "He isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

"Yes, he is!" Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Ginny retorted.

Hermione remained silent, and Harry glared at her. "Erm—yes," Hermione said. "He's very good."

"Well, we think he's a bit of a joke in Ravenclaw," Luna explained.

"You've got a rubbish sense of humor, then," Ron replied darkly.

There was silence after that, but Luna didn't seem upset at Ron's outburst. On the contrary, she simply watched him with slight interest.

Soon, the carriage was coming to a halt, and the five Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw climbed out of it. They started up to the castle, but Ron paused.

"Are you coming or what?" he asked, looking at Harry.

Harry was still standing next to the carriage, looking intently at the space in front of the it, as though there was something there. "Oh—yeah," he said, shaking his head and following his friends up to the castle.

The crowd of students flooded into the castle, through the entrance hall, and into the Great Hall, where the start-of-term feast would be held. Ginny was the only one to say good-bye to Luna as she moved towards the Ravenclaw table; the others simply watched her go. Then Ginny also left them, deciding to sit with some of her fellow fourth-year friends.

Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione met up with Neville again about halfway down their table. The resident Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, was also sitting nearby. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, two of the other fifth-year girls, were close, as well.

Lucy sat down next to Hermione and across from Harry and Ron. They all looked up at the staff table for Hagrid.

"He's not there," Harry said, sounding disappointed.

"He can't have left," Ron said.

"Of course he hasn't," Lucy said, shaking her head.

"You don't think he's… _hurt_ or anything, do you?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry insisted immediately.

"Then where is he?" Ron asked.

Harry leaned forward towards his friends. "Maybe he's not back yet," he said very quietly. "You know—from his mission—the thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore."

"Yeah, that has to be it," Lucy said, nodding.

Ron looked comforted by this idea, but Hermione went back to looking at the staff table. "Who's _that_?" she asked, pointing up at one of the teachers.

The others looked around to see Dumbledore in his usual seat at the middle of the table, and next to him was a very short woman, dressed in all pink, who was talking to the headmaster. When she turned her head, so they could see her face, Harry let out a gasp.

"It's that Umbridge woman!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"She was at my hearing," Harry explained quickly. "She works for Fudge!"

"Nice cardigan," Ron smirked, and Lucy snorted.

"She works for Fudge?" Hermione echoed. "What on earth's she doing here, then?"

"Dunno…" Harry replied.

Hermione continued to scan the staff table, thinking hard. "No," she said. "No, surely not.…"

"What?" Lucy asked urgently, but at that moment, they all saw Professor Grubbly-Plank entering the hall from a side door and taking Hagrid's usual place at the table.

Not a minute later, the doors of the hall opened, and Professor McGonagall came marching in. She was leading the group of new first years to the front of the room. Then, the Sorting Hat was placed on its regular stool, and everyone waited for a few moments until the hat began its song.

_In times of old when I was new  
And Hogwarts barely started  
The founders of our noble school  
Thought never to be parted:  
United by a common goal,  
They had the selfsame yearning,  
To make the world's best magic school  
And pass along their learning.  
"Together we will build and teach!"  
The four good friends decided  
And never did they dream that they  
Might someday be divided.  
For were there such friends anywhere  
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?  
Unless it was the second pair  
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?  
So, how could it have gone so wrong?  
How could such friendships fail?  
Why, I was there and so can tell  
The whole sad, sorry tale.  
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those  
Whose ancestry is purest."  
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose  
Intelligence is surest."  
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those  
With brave deeds to their name."  
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,  
And treat them just the same."  
These differences caused little strife  
When first they came to light,  
For each of the four founders had  
A house in which they might  
Take only those they wanted, so,  
For instance, Slytherin  
Took only pure-blood wizards  
Of great cunning, just like him.  
And only those of sharpest mind  
Were taught by Ravenclaw,  
While the bravest and boldest  
Went to daring Gryffindor.  
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,  
And taught them all she knew.  
Thus the houses and their founders  
Retained friendships firm and true.  
So, Hogwarts worked in harmony  
For several happy years,  
But then discord crept among us  
Feeding on our faults and fears.  
The houses that, like pillars four,  
Had once held up our school,  
Now turned upon each other and,  
Divided, sought to rule.  
And for a while it seemed the school  
Must meet an early end,  
What with dueling and with fighting  
And the clash of friend on friend.  
And at last there came a morning,  
When old Slytherin departed,  
And though the fighting then died out,  
He left us quite downhearted.  
And never since the founders four  
Were whittled down to three  
Have the houses been united  
As they once were meant to be.  
And now the Sorting Hat is here,  
And you all know the score:  
I sort you into houses,  
Because that is what I'm for.  
But this year I'll go further,  
Listen closely to my song:  
Though condemned I am to split you,  
Still I worry that it's wrong.  
Though I must fulfill my duty  
And must quarter every year,  
Still I wonder whether sorting  
May not bring the end I fear.  
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,  
The warning history shows;  
For our Hogwarts is in danger  
From external, deadly foes,  
And we must unite inside her  
Or we'll crumble from within.  
I have told you, I have warned you…  
Let the sorting now begin._

When the hat finished its song, there was the usual applause, although a lot of people leaned into their neighbors to whisper about what exactly the hat had said.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron asked.

"Too right it has," Harry agreed.

"It's right, though, even if it is just a hat," Lucy said. "In dangerous times, we need to stick together, not be fighting amongst ourselves."

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before," Hermione said.

"Yes, indeed," Nearly Headless Nick spoke up, leaning through Neville to look at Hermione. "The hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels—"

He stopped abruptly, looking at Professor McGonagall, who was surveying the hall with one of her famous glares. The whispers died away immediately, and Professor McGonagall gave a brief instruction to the first-years before consulting her list.

"Abercrombie, Euan," was the first name to be called. The boy stumbled forward, sat on the stool, and pulled the hat onto his head. The hat was silent for a moment before calling out, "_GRYFFINDOR_!" The Gryffindors all cheered for him as he joined their table.

**~LJ:NK~**

Slowly, the first-years were all sorted, and finally Professor McGonagall was taking the Sorting Hat away.

Professor Dumbledore stood at the front of the hall. "To our newcomers, welcome!" he began, smiling down at them all. "To our old hands—welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There were shouts and whoops of agreement as Dumbledore sat back down, and the food magically appeared on all the tables.

"Excellent," Ron moaned, piling food onto his plate immediately, and the others followed suit.

"What were you saying before, about the sorting?" Hermione asked Nick. "About the hat giving warnings."

"Oh, yes," Nick said. "Yes, I have heard the hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. Always, of course, its advice is the same: stand together and be strong from within."

"Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" Ron said through a mouth full of food.

"_Gross_, Ron," Lucy complained.

"I beg your pardon?" Nick asked him.

Ron took a few seconds to swallow what was in his mouth before repeating, "How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a hat?"

"I have no idea," Nick admitted. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the houses to be friends?" Harry asked, glancing over to where Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table. "Fat chance."

"Well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude," Nick said. "Peaceful cooperation, that's the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron."

"Only because you're terrified of him," Ron pointed out.

"Terrified?" Nick said indignantly. "I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins—"

"What blood?" Ron asked. "Surely you haven't still got—?"

"It's a figure of speech!" Nick cried. "I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words I like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!"

"Nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" Hermione tried to assure the ghost.

Ron had already shoveled a large amount of food into his mouth again, so all he could say was, "Node iddum eentup eschew."

Nick, however, rose into the air and floated away to another part of the table.

"Well done, Ron," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"What?" Ron asked, having swallowed again. "I'm not allowed to ask a simple question?"

"Oh, forget it," Hermione said shortly.

"Back to the hat," Lucy said. "You know that it's right. We have to stick together. United, we're strong; divided, we… _suck_."

"I'm not going to try and make friends with Malfoy," Harry insisted.

"Nobody's saying you have to make friends with everyone," Lucy said. "Like Nick said, peaceful cooperation. The houses need to learn to coexist with one another. Right?" she added sharply.

Harry wasn't looking at her. He grunted in response, concentrating on his meal.

**~LJ:NK~**

The feast finally ended, and the deserts were cleared away. Professor Dumbledore got to his feet, and the school became quiet once again.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore said. "First-years ought to know that the forest on the grounds is out of bounds to students—and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too."

Lucy exchanged amused glances with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker," Dumbledore continued, "has asked me—for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time—to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons." Dumbledore paused as there was polite applause for Professor Grubbly-Plank. "We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was another round of applause, still polite and unenthusiastic.

"Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the—"

Dumbledore stopped, looking over his shoulder at where Professor Umbridge was now standing. She let out a, "_Hem, hem_," and looked as though she wanted to make a speech of her own. Dumbledore looked startled for only a moment before sitting down and looking attentively at the new professor. There were some mumbles around the hall.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge said in a high-pitched voice, "for those kind words of welcome." She cleared her throat with a, "_Hem, hem_," before continuing, "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Lucy felt her brow furrow in confusion and slight disgust.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Umbridge said.

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Lucy heard Parvati saying to Lavender, and both girls covered their mouths with their hands, stifling their giggles.

Umbridge cleared her throat once more before continuing, although now she sounded much more businesslike. "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance," she began. "The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations, lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

Umbridge turned to the professors and bowed to them, but none of them bowed back. They were all watching their new colleague warily.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school," Umbridge went on, "and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…"

_Progress for progress's sake must be discouraged?_ Lucy thought, frowning. _Our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering?_

She was having a hard time concentrating on what the new professor was saying, and, after a glance around the hall, she knew that most of the other students weren't paying attention, either. The other professors, however, were listening intently, and Hermione was also taking in everything Umbridge was saying.

"—because some changes will be for the better," Umbridge droned on as Lucy forced herself to pay attention, "while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfect, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

She finally sat down, and Dumbledore began to clap, alerting the rest of the school that the speech was finished. The students hurried to applaud, as well, and Dumbledore stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge," he said. "That was most illuminating. Now—as I was saying—Quidditch tryouts will be held—"

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," Hermione agreed quietly as Dumbledore continued his speech.

"You're not telling me you _enjoyed_ it?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."

"I said _illuminating_, not enjoyable," Hermione said. "It explained a lot."

"Did it?" Harry asked. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," Hermione insisted.

"Was there?" Ron asked.

"How about _progress for progress's sake must be discouraged_?" Lucy pointed out, and Hermione nodded.

"Or _pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited_," Hermione added.

"Well, what the hell does that mean?" Ron asked.

"I'll tell you what it means," Hermione said grimly. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."

All around them, the students began to rise out of their chairs; Dumbledore must have sent them off to bed.

"Ron, we're supposed to show the first-years where to go!" Hermione said, jumping up from the table.

"Oh, yeah," Ron replied. "Hey—hey, you lot! Midgets!"

"_Ron_!" Hermione gasped.

"Well, they are," Ron said. "They're titchy—"

"I know, but you can't call them _midgets_," Hermione scolded. "First-years!" she called, walking along the table. "This way, please!"

The first-years slowly gathered around Hermione, looking nervous. One boy glanced at Harry and then quickly grabbed the arm of the boy next to him and whispered something in his ear. Both boys looked at Harry apprehensively, and Lucy took this as her cue to get Harry out of there.

"See you later," she said loudly to Ron and Hermione before grabbing Harry's arm and steering him away.

They exited the Great Hall, and all around them, people were pointing at Harry and whispering.

"This way," Harry muttered to Lucy, and they took a couple of shortcuts to get away from the crowds.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Lucy said when they were alone in a corridor.

"I shouldn't be surprised by them," Harry said in a hard voice. "I mean, the _Prophet_ has been calling me a nutter all summer, hasn't it?"

"If you want to put it bluntly, yes, it has," Lucy said. After a few seconds of silence, she added, "I suppose we also shouldn't be surprised that Fudge sent someone from his office here to teach."

"How do you mean?" Harry asked.

"It's like what the Order were saying on the night you came to Grimmauld Place," Lucy said quietly. "Fudge thinks that Dumbledore is trying to take his job. Fudge needs somebody on the inside to let him know what's happening at Hogwarts. The professors here are too loyal to Dumbledore; that much is obvious."

"I don't understand why the Ministry thinks that I would lie about this," Harry said angrily. "Do they think I'm trying to help Dumbledore become Minister?"

"Maybe," Lucy said. "I don't know, Harry. What I _do_ know is that you need to keep your temper in check." Harry looked at her in bewilderment, and she scolded him, "Oh, don't look at me that way." He turned away from her, but she went on anyway, "The way you screamed at us that night at Snuffles's house? You've been losing your temper a lot lately, and that will only get you into more trouble now that there's someone from the Ministry working here. So promise me you'll try and keep your cool."

"I promise," Harry muttered.

Lucy stepped in front of him to stop him. He had grown a bit over the summer; Lucy and Harry had been roughly the same height for the past few years, but now he had a few inches on her.

"Look me in the eye and promise me that you'll try to control your temper," she said.

Harry finally looked at her. "I promise that I'll try," he said.

Lucy sighed. "I suppose that will have to be good enough for now," she said.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. She guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, and Lucy immediately realized that she didn't know what the password to get in was.

"Do you know the password?" she asked Harry.

He looked at her blankly. "No," he replied. "I forgot to ask for it before we left."

The two of them turned to the Fat Lady helplessly.

"No password, no entrance," she insisted.

"Harry! Lucy!" a voice said from behind them. "I know it!" Lucy and Harry turned to see Neville hurrying towards them, and he said, "Guess what it is? I'm actually going to be able to remember it for once." He had his little plant in his hand, and he waved it in the air. "_Mimbulus mimbletonia_!"

"Correct," the Fat Lady said, and her portrait swung open to reveal the entrance to the common room.

Lucy, Harry, and Neville all climbed through. The room wasn't very full, as Lucy assumed most of their classmates had gone up to bed. Harry said good night to Lucy and continued towards the boys' staircase, and Neville followed him.

Lucy looked around the common room, spotting Fred and George pinning something to the notice board. She went over to them. "What's this, then?" she asked, looking at it.

"We're looking for some test subjects," Fred replied ominously. When Lucy frowned at him, he chuckled and went on, "We're going to pay a few people to test some of our sweets. There isn't anything dangerous about them, but we need to see if they work the way they're supposed to."

"Word of advice," Lucy said, looking between the twins. "_Don't_ let Hermione see any of this. Not only is she a stickler for the rules, but she will not hesitate to write to your parents."

Fred and George exchanged uneasy glances. "You don't think she'll read the notice board right away, do you?" George asked.

"Probably not," Lucy admitted, "but still. Be careful."

"Will do, sister," Fred said. "I think it'll be okay. I'm going to head up to bed. George, you coming?"

"Right behind you," George said. "Good night, Lu," he added, hugging Lucy quickly. Fred hugged her, as well, and the boys went up the stairs to their dormitory.

Lucy was just about to head up the girls' staircase when the portrait hole opened, and Hermione and Ron led the first-years inside.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," Hermione said to the first-years. "The boys' dormitories are through the door on the left, and the girls' dormitories are through the door on the right. Your belongings will already be in your rooms. Your dormitory will have a sign on it that says _First Year_. I suggest you all head to bed; the first day of classes is tomorrow."

The first-years dispersed, and Lucy joined Hermione and Ron.

"Thank you for all your help, Ron," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I don't think that showing the first-years to the common room is a two-person job," Ron replied. "When we were first-years, Percy was the only one who showed us anywhere."

"You need to take this job more seriously," Hermione insisted. "Now, I think I'm going to go up to bed. Lucy?"

"Lead the way," Lucy said. "Good night, Ron."

Ron said good night, as well, and he left for the boys' dormitory.

Lucy and Hermione climbed the girls' staircase up to the top, where their dormitory was. When they entered the room, they found Parvati, Lavender, and Sally-Anne Perks—the other fifth-year girl—already getting ready for bed.

"Hi, Lucy!" Sally-Anne said cheerfully.

"Hey, Sally-Anne," Lucy replied, smiling. "How was your summer?"

"Oh, it was all right," Sally-Anne answered. "My sister Becky moved out, so it was just me and my dad."

"I forgot that your sister graduated last year," Lucy said. "What is she up to these days?"

"She got a job at _Witch Weekly_," Sally-Anne reported. "She's just an assistant for now, but she's hoping to become a writer for them some day."

"That's great for her," Lucy said.

"I wish I could have stayed with her instead of Dad this summer," Sally-Anne admitted. Then she lowered her voice and added, "She said she was too busy, though." Her voice lowered to a whisper, and she continued, "She joined Dumbledore's Order, you know."

"Becky's in the Order of the Phoenix?" Lucy asked quietly, shocked. She didn't remember seeing Becky at any of the meetings.

"She just joined a few weeks ago," Sally-Anne answered with a nod. "I tried to ask her about it, but she said that she can't be telling me too much. She mentioned that she saw you, Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys at headquarters, though."

"We were living there over the summer," Lucy confirmed. "I didn't see her, though."

"What was it like?" Sally-Anne asked, looking intrigued.

"We weren't allowed anywhere near their meetings or anything," Lucy said. "They told us that we're too young. Not even Fred and George were allowed in, and they're of-age."

"That's too bad," Sally-Anne said. "I wish I could have been with you over the summer, though! It sounds like a lot of fun."

Lucy shrugged. "I'm going to get ready for bed," she said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Lucy," Sally-Anne replied before going over to her own bed.

Lucy turned back to Hermione, who had already changed out of her robes, and asked, "So, how was the first day of prefect duty?"

"Oh, it's been fine," Hermione replied. "I just wish that Ron was a bit more enthusiastic."

"Good luck with that one," Lucy chuckled. "He didn't want to be a prefect. He's said so himself multiple times. I wonder why they chose him? I mean, Ginny's right; they probably should have picked Dean."

"Maybe," Hermione agreed.

They finished getting ready to go to sleep and climbed into their four-poster beds.

"Oh, I missed this bed so much," Lucy moaned happily. Evie hopped up onto the bed next to her, curling into a ball at her hip. Lucy let out a yawn.

"Good night, Lucy," Hermione chuckled.

"Good night, Hermione," Lucy replied. Then she snuggled into her bed and quickly fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I decided to include the Sorting Hat's song this time around, because I think it gives an important message, and the characters have a whole conversation about it afterward.**_

_**I wanted Lucy to have that conversation with Harry early on, about him losing his temper. Lucy has made many promises to help keep him safe, and she knows that if he loses his temper with a Ministry official around, it will get him into a lot of trouble.**_

_**Having Sally-Anne's sister join the Order was kind of spur of the moment, but it gave Sally-Anne and Lucy something to talk about.**_


	9. 9: A Rocky First Day

_**A/N: To any American readers, I hope you had a fun and safe Independence Day yesterday!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 9 – A Rocky First Day**

The next morning, Lucy and Hermione woke up and got dressed. Lavender and Parvati, who were also getting ready for the first day of school, were whispering quietly to each other.

"So, how were your summers?" Lucy asked them, interested in what they were whispering about.

"Fine," Parvati was quick to answer. "Same old, same old. How about you?"

"I'm sure they were hanging around with Harry and coming up with more stories to tell us about You-Know-Who," Lavender said bitterly.

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a surprised glance. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw Sally-Anne straighten up.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked.

"You heard me," Lavender sneered.

"Why would you say something like that?" Lucy asked angrily.

"The _Prophet_ has been very clear that You-Know-Who has _not_ returned," Lavender stated matter-of-factly, "that Harry is a liar, and that Dumbledore is losing his touch."

Lucy opened her mouth to answer her, but Hermione beat her to it. "Harry is _not_ a liar, and Dumbledore is _not_ losing his touch!" Hermione exclaimed. "You just keep your big fat mouth shut on things that you know nothing about!"

With that, Hermione swept from the room, and Lucy lifted her eyebrows in surprise. She exchanged a look with Sally-Anne, who also looked amazed.

"You know, I was just going to call you a stupid bitch, but I think it hits much harder coming from Hermione," Lucy said, smirking at Lavender. "Have a lovely day." Then she, too, left the room, finding Hermione waiting just outside.

"I can't believe her," Hermione seethed.

"I don't know why you're surprised," Lucy said as they started down to the common room. "This was bound to happen. There are lots of people who take the _Prophet_ and the Ministry seriously."

Hermione nodded, taking a few deep breaths. "I shouldn't have said that to her, though," she said. "I'm a prefect. I need to be better than that."

"Don't worry about it," Lucy said soothingly.

"Hermione!" Sally-Anne was hurrying to catch up with them. "That was _wicked_! You should put people in their places more often!"

"I agree," Lucy said, grinning at Hermione, and Hermione ducked her head in embarrassment.

When they reached the common room, Sally-Anne parted ways with Lucy and Hermione. There was no sign of Harry and Ron.

"I don't know why Lavender thought that she would get away with saying something like that," Lucy commented. "I mean, I was just as surprised as her when you told her to shut up, but she should know that I would have never let her get away with saying that. I'm proud of you, 'Mione."

Hermione smiled, her cheeks tinged pink.

Harry and Ron joined them a few minutes later, and Harry looked upset.

"What's the matter?" Lucy asked immediately. "You look—"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Hermione interrupted exasperatedly. She was staring at the notice board and had spotted Fred's and George's sign. "They are the limit," she scowled, walking over to the board and taking the sign down. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

"Why?" Ron asked, bewildered, as the four of them headed out of the common room.

"Because we're prefects!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!"

Ron didn't answer her.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Lucy asked, turning back to her brother. "You look really angry about something. Out with it."

Harry didn't say anything.

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," Ron finally said for him.

"Yes, Lavender thinks so, too," Hermione said, frowning.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry asked sharply.

"No," Hermione replied, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually."

Harry and Ron stared at her in amazement.

"I was surprised, as well," Lucy said, amused at their expressions. "You should have seen the look on Lavender's face when she said it. Oh, and Harry?" She glared over at her brother. "It would be nice if you stopped jumping down our throats, because, if you haven't noticed, we're on _your_ side."

There was a pause.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"That's quite all right," Hermione said briskly, nodding. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?" Harry and Ron both shook their heads, and Hermione continued, "About You-Know-Who. He said, _His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust_—"

"How do you remember stuff like that?" Ron asked.

"I _listen_, Ron," Hermione replied, and Lucy chuckled at the look of disbelief on Ron's face.

"So do I," Ron insisted, "but I still couldn't tell you exactly what—"

"The _point_," Hermione interrupted, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've already started fighting among ourselves. The Sorting Hat's warning was the same—stand together, be united—"

"And Harry said it last night," Ron said. "If that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"And I told him, that's not what Dumbledore or the hat—or Nick, for that matter—was saying," Lucy cut in. "We don't have to be _friends_ with the Slytherins. We just need to be willing to work together."

"I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter-house unity," Hermione commented.

They had reached the entrance hall, where they met a group of fourth-year Ravenclaws. The Ravenclaws nervously huddled closer together and hurried away from Harry and his friends.

"Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like _that_," Harry said sarcastically.

"Harry, sooner or later, people will realize you've been telling the truth," Lucy said gently.

The four Gryffindors entered the Great Hall and looked up at the staff table. Hagrid was still not there, and Professor Grubbly-Plank was sitting in his usual spot again.

"Dumbledore didn't even mention how long that Grubbly-Plank woman's staying," Harry said as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe…" Hermione trailed off, looking up at the staff table thoughtfully.

"What?" the other three asked.

"Well… maybe he didn't want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here," Hermione guessed, shrugging.

"What d'you mean, draw attention to it?" Ron chuckled. "How could we _not_ notice?"

Before any of the others could say anything, a tall seventh-year Gryffindor girl came marching up to them. It was Angelina Johnson, one of the Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Hi, Angelina," Harry greeted her.

"Hi," she said, "good summer?" Harry opened his mouth to answer, but she continued, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"Nice one," Harry said, smiling.

"Yeah, well, we need a new Keeper now Oliver's left," she said. "Tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock, and I want the whole team there, all right? Then we can see how the new person'll fit in."

"Okay," Harry agreed, and Angelina gave him a quick smile before leaving to rejoin her friends.

"I'd forgotten Wood had left," Hermione said. "I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?"

"I s'ppose," Harry said. "He was a good Keeper.…"

"Still, it won't hurt to have some new blood, will it?" Ron asked.

Then hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, bringing in the morning mail. An owl swooped down on Hermione, carrying a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"What are you still getting that for?" Harry asked, his voice annoyed. "I'm not bothering—load of rubbish."

Hermione dropped a Knut in the pouch attached to the owl's leg, and the owl took off again. "It's best to know what the enemy are saying," Hermione pointed out. Then she shook the paper out and began to read.

There was silence as she read, and Lucy, Harry, and Ron ate their breakfast.

"Nothing," Hermione finally stated, folding the newspaper back up. "Nothing about you or Dumbledore or anything."

Professor McGonagall, who was handing out course schedules, reached them, having finished with the younger students. She gave them their time-tables.

"Look at today!" Ron complained as he studied his schedule. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts—Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman—all in one day! I wish Fred and George would hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted—"

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Fred asked, arriving at the table with George. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?" Fred plopped down onto the bench next to Harry, and George sat next to Lucy.

"Look what we've got today," Ron insisted, sliding his schedule across the table so his brother could see it. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," Fred said. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap, if you like."

"Why's it cheap?" Lucy asked, grinning slyly at the twins.

"Because you'll keep bleeding 'til you shrivel up," George replied, piling some breakfast onto his plate. "We haven't got an antidote yet."

"Cheers," Ron muttered, "but I think I'll take the lessons." He took his schedule back and shoved it into his bag.

"Speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," Hermione began, looking between the twins, "you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board."

"I told you so," Lucy said, smirking.

George briefly stuck his tongue out at Lucy before asking, "Who says we can't advertise?"

"Says me," Hermione said, "and Ron."

"Leave me out of it," Ron said immediately.

Hermione gave him an exasperated look, and Fred and George let out snickers.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," Fred said. "You're starting your fifth year. You'll be _begging_ us for a Snackbox before long."

"Why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?" Hermione asked.

"Fifth year's O.W.L. year," George replied.

"So?" Hermione asked.

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you?" Fred said. "They'll be keeping your noses so hard to the grindstone they'll be rubbed raw."

Lucy and Harry exchanged disgusted looks.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," George reported. "Tears and tantrums—Patricia Simpson kept coming over faint—"

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" Fred asked.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pajamas," George reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Fred said, smiling. "I'd forgotten.… Hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?"

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," George said. "That is, if you care about exam results, anyway."

"Hermione will be fine," Lucy said. "She's the top of our class. She'll get top marks in all her exams."

Hermione smiled, blushing.

"Well, Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow," George said.

"Yeah… you got—what was it?—three O.W.L.s each?" Ron asked.

"Yep," Fred replied cheerfully, "but we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," George added, "now that we've got—" He halted awkwardly, looking at Harry, and then hurriedly continued, "—now that we've got our O.W.L.s. I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? In the end, we decided that we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early—not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest fucking prat."

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though," Fred said. "We're going to use it to do a bit of market research. We're going to find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from their joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demand."

"And where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" Hermione asked. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials—and premises, too, I suppose—"

Suddenly, there was a clatter, and Harry went diving under the table for something.

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione," Fred said. "C'mon, George, if we get there early, we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology." He and his twin brother picked up a few slices of toast and left the table.

Harry sat up straight, and Lucy looked at him questioningly. He held up his fork, implying that he'd dropped it.

"What did that mean?" Hermione asked. "_Ask us no questions_… Does that mean they've already got some gold to start a joke shop?"

"You know, I've been wondering about that," Ron said. "I still don't know where they got the Galleons to get me those new dress robes this summer.…"

"D'you reckon it's true that this year's going to be really tough?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "Because of the exams?"

"Oh, yeah," Ron said. "Bound to be, isn't it? O.W.L.s are really important. They affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. We get career advice, too, later this year—Bill told me—so we can choose what N.E.W.T.s we want to do next year."

The four fifth-years finished up their breakfast and stood up to leave for their first class.

"D'you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked as they exited the Great Hall.

"Not really," Ron replied. "Except—well…"

"What?" Harry encouraged as Ron looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror," Ron said.

"Yeah, it would," Harry agreed.

"But they're, like, the elite," Ron went on. "You've got to be really good. What about you, Lucy?"

"I mean, I guess it'd be cool," Lucy said. "I dunno—I kind of want to help improve relations with wizards and the Muggle world.… How about you, Hermione?"

"Oh, I don't know," Hermione said. "I think I'd really like to do something worthwhile."

"An Auror's worthwhile!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, it is, but it's not the _only_ worthwhile thing," Hermione said. "I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further.…"

Lucy glanced at Harry and Ron, who were very purposefully looking away from one another.

**~LJ:NK~**

The Gryffindors' first class of the day was History of Magic, which was notorious for being quite dull. It was taught by Professor Binns, the only ghost professor in the school. Hermione was the only one who was able to pay attention for the entire class period. Lucy tried her best to pay attention, as well, but it was very difficult. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, played hangman on a piece of parchment instead of taking notes.

"How would it be if I refused to lend you my notes this year?" Hermione asked the boys bitterly at the end of class.

"We'd fail our O.W.L.s," Ron replied promptly. "If you want that on your conscience, Hermione—"

"Well, you'd deserve it," Hermione said indignantly. "You don't even _try_ to listen to him, do you?"

"We _do_ try," Ron insisted. "We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration—you're just cleverer than we are—is it nice to rub it in?"

"Oh, don't give me that rubbish," Hermione said.

"Look at it this way, though," Lucy said. "It's not like either of you will be taking History of Magic after O.W.L.s, so does it really matter if you pass it?"

Hermione gave Lucy a reproachful look, but Ron smirked.

They continued on, and after turning one corner, they came face to face with Cho Chang. "Hello, Harry!" she said warmly to Harry.

"Hi," he replied, looking flustered.

"You got that stuff off, then?" Cho asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "So, did you—er—have a good summer?"

Lucy had to stop herself from rolling her eyes; Cho had been dating Cedric Diggory at the end of the previous year, so she was sure that Cho's summer hadn't been easy.

"Oh, it was all right, you know…" Cho said vaguely.

"Is that a Tornados badge?" Ron asked abruptly, pointing at a badge pinned to Cho's robes. "You don't support them, do you?"

"Yeah, I do," Cho replied.

"Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?" Ron questioned harshly.

"I've support them since I was six," Cho answered, looking away from Ron. "Anyway… see you, Harry." She continued in the opposite direction.

Lucy glared at Ron. "You are such an _idiot_, Ron!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Ron asked defensively. "I only asked her if—"

"Couldn't you tell she wanted to talk to Harry on her own?" Hermione demanded.

"So? She could've done," Ron said. "I wasn't stopping—"

"What the hell were you attacking her about her Quidditch team for?" Lucy asked.

"_Attacking_?" Ron repeated. "I wasn't _attacking_ her! I was only—"

"Who _cares_ if she supports the Tornados?" Hermione said.

"Oh, come on," Ron scoffed. "Half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season—"

"But what does it _matter_?" Hermione pressed.

"It means they're not real fans!" Ron explained. "They're just jumping on the bandwagon—!"

"That's the bell," Harry announced dully.

The four of them hurried off, Hermione and Ron still bickering.

**~LJ:NK~**

Soon they came to the Potions room in the dungeons, and Lucy was reunited with Jeremy.

"Hi," he said, grinning at her.

"Hello," she said heavily, glancing at Ron and Hermione, who were now avoiding each other.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked knowingly.

"Well, we passed Cho Chang in the hall, and she clearly wanted to have a chat with Harry," Lucy explained. "Then Ron noticed that she was wearing a Tornados badge, and he butted in, accused her of being a bandwagon fan, and scared her off. He was arguing with Hermione all the way down here."

"Looks like some things haven't changed," Jeremy chuckled.

They waited for a few more minutes before Snape opened the door to the classroom and let them all in. Lucy and Jeremy sat at their usual table.

"Settle down," Snape said as he shut the door.

Silence fell over the dungeon as Snape moved to the front of the room.

"Before we begin today's lesson," he began in his quiet voice, "I think it's appropriate to remind you that next June, you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an Acceptable in your O.W.L., or suffer my… displeasure."

He paused, looking around at some of the Gryffindor students.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," he continued. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye. However, we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell, so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level," Snape continued. "The Draught of Living Peace—a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients, you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing.

"The ingredients and method are on the blackboard." Snape waved his wand at the board, and words appeared on it. "You will find everything you need in the store cupboard." He waved his wand once more, and the cupboard at the back of the room opened. "You have an hour and a half.… Start."

**~LJ:NK~**

The Draught of Living Peace was a fairly difficult potion, and Lucy was constantly looking at the instructions to make sure she was doing everything right. Jeremy seemed to be a lot less troubled about his potion.

When there was ten minutes left of class, Snape called, "A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion."

Lucy frowned at the vapor rising from her potion.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"Do you think these vapors look silver enough?" Lucy asked. "I think they look a bit darker than yours do."

"Lucy, you did a good job," Jeremy said, chuckling. His cauldron was definitely giving off silver vapors.

Lucy squinted her eyes at hers again. "I don't know," she said. "I think they're more of a dark gray than a silver."

Jeremy took her hand in his and squeezed lightly.

Snape walked by their table, glancing into their cauldrons but not making any comments on their potions. "There are no displays of affection allowed in my classroom," he sneered at them quietly.

Lucy and Jeremy hastily dropped hands. They exchanged a glance as the Potions master swept away.

Then Snape headed towards the back row, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting. "Potter, what is this supposed to be?" he asked, and Lucy quickly turned around to see him standing over Harry's cauldron.

"The Draught of Peace," Harry replied.

"Tell me, Potter, can you read?" Snape asked.

Lucy heard Malfoy laugh aloud.

"Yes, I can," Harry replied hotly.

"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter," Snape demanded.

"_Add powdered moonstone_," Harry read, "_stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, and then add two drops of syrup of hellebore_."

"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?" Snape asked. Harry mumbled something, and Snape added, "I beg your pardon?"

"No," Harry said. "I forgot the hellebore."

"I know you did, Potter," Snape said, "which means that this mess is utterly worthless. _Evanesco_." He waved his wand, and Harry's potion disappeared.

"Those of you who _have_ managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing," Snape instructed. "Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday."

Lucy turned back to her cauldron and prepared her sample. "That wasn't fair," she said in a low voice. "There were plenty of other potions in this room that looked like people missed steps."

Jeremy just shrugged.

The two of them joined the line to turn in their samples. As Lucy was waiting in line, she watched Goyle pour his potion into his flagon. The flagon immediately exploded, setting Goyle's robes on fire. Snape jumped up and put the fire out with his wand.

"See what I mean?" Lucy whispered to Jeremy after they'd turned in their potions.

"There's no way that Harry's potion was worse than _that_," Jeremy agreed, glancing over his shoulder at Goyle.

**~LJ:NK~**

The bell rang as they finished cleaning up, and Lucy and Jeremy joined Hermione and Ron to go up to the Great Hall. Harry was nowhere to be found.

When they reached the Great Hall, Jeremy parted ways with them to sit his other friends, and Lucy, Hermione, and Ron went over to the Gryffindor table. There they found Harry already eating.

"That was really unfair," Hermione said as soon as she, Lucy, and Ron had sat down. "Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's. When he put it in his flagon, the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."

"Yeah, well, since when has Snape ever been fair to me?" Harry asked bitterly.

"I did think he might be a bit better this year," Hermione said. "I mean—you know—" She quickly glanced around for eaves-droppers before saying, "Now he's in the Order and everything."

"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," Ron said. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape. Where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"

"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," Hermione said, frowning at him.

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," Harry said, and Hermione and Ron looked at him reproachfully. "Can't you give it a rest?" Harry asked. "You're always having a go at each other. It's driving me mad." He stood up and left.

"I'm on it," Lucy said, quickly standing up, as well, and hurrying after her brother. She shot out of the Great Hall and ran up the main marble staircase. "Harry!" she shouted after him. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her, and when she caught up to him, she asked, "What the hell was that?"

"I'm just sick of the pair of them fucking arguing _all_ _the_ _time_," Harry muttered, starting to walk again.

Lucy followed him. "You've never had a problem with it before," she said, and Harry shrugged. "Harry, you really need to learn to control your temper," Lucy added.

"I can control my temper," Harry replied hotly.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "We get it, Harry," she said. "Ron, Hermione, and I are on your side. We know that being stuck at Privet Drive for half of the summer sucked. We know that people you called your friends now don't believe you about what happened last year. We know that Snape was being unfair to you in Potions class today."

"Look, I know you mean well," Harry said quietly, "but none of you really knows what I've been going through, ever since I was a year old—"

"I lost my parents, too!" Lucy said sharply. She carefully avoided looking at Harry, worried that she would spill her secret if she worked herself up too much.

"You still had a better upbringing than I did," Harry replied.

"Maybe I did, but as much as I love Dan and Sue, they aren't my _real_ parents," Lucy replied. "Just like you, I will never be able to see them again because of You-Know-Who. So _please_ don't act like I don't understand at least _that_ part."

There was silence for a moment.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Just please work on controlling your temper," Lucy said. "We're on your side. We promise." They walked down a corridor in silence before Lucy asked, "You're going to Divination, right?"

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"Well, I suppose I'll let you go on by yourself, then," Lucy said. "I've got Arithmancy, and it's back down that hall." She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "I'll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Okay," Harry agreed, and he set off on his own.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy was somewhat regretting her decision to chase after Harry. She had barely eaten anything in the Great Hall, and now her stomach was growling loudly.

After waiting for about ten minutes outside of the Arithmancy classroom, Hermione joined her, holding a napkin with a couple bread rolls in it. "Here you are," she said, smiling.

Lucy gratefully took the rolls from Hermione and began eating them. "Thank you so much, 'Mione," she said in between swallows.

"It's no problem," Hermione replied. "I know you didn't really get a chance to eat when you went after Harry. What did you say to him?"

"I mostly just reminded him to mind his temper and that we're on his side," Lucy answered, finishing the first roll and beginning the second one.

"Yes, I told Ron to tell Harry something similar," Hermione sighed.

"There's something different about him this year," Lucy said, frowning. "He's never been this… _angry_ all the time."

Before Hermione could say anything back, Professor Vector—the Arithmancy professor—had showed up and opened the classroom door for them.

Lucy and Hermione took seats at the front of the class. Lucy always enjoyed this class, and Professor Vector was one of her favorite professors.

At the end of the class, Professor Vector set them their homework, and Lucy and Hermione left for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"So, how do you think this class will go?" Lucy asked. "Defense Against the Dark Arts used to be one of my favorites; do you think this Umbridge woman is going to ruin it?"

"Maybe," Hermione said. "I don't really know what to expect."

"She probably won't last the year," Lucy said grimly. "None of our other professors have."

**~LJ:NK~**

When they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Lucy and Hermione entered and sat down at a desk together. Harry and Ron soon joined them, sliding into the seats on the other side of Hermione.

The class slowly filled up around them, and once they were all sitting, Umbridge spoke up from her spot behind her desk.

"Well, good afternoon!" she announced.

A few people replied, "Good afternoon," but most of the class remained quiet.

"Tut, tut," Umbridge said. "_That_ won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply _Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge_. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class chorused.

"There, now," Umbridge said, smiling. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

The class did as they were told. Umbridge, meanwhile, tapped the blackboard with her wand, and words appeared.

_Defense Against the Dark Arts  
A Return to Basic Principles_

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Umbridge asked. "The constant changing of teachers—many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum—has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year. You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She tapped her wand on the board once more, and new words appeared.

_Course aims:  
1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.  
2\. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.  
3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use._

Lucy copied down the course aims, frowning at them suspiciously.

"Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?" Umbridge asked when everyone was finished writing. There were murmurs of confirmation throughout the class, and Umbridge said, "I think we'll try that again. When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply _Yes, Professor Umbridge_ or _No, Professor Umbridge_. So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," the class said together.

"Good," Umbridge said, beaming. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, _Basics for Beginners_. There will be no need to talk."

Lucy turned to page five and glanced at the first chapter, which seemed very dull. Then she looked over at Hermione, who hadn't touched her textbook, and was surprised to see that Hermione was sitting with her hand held in the air.

Over the next few minutes, other students glanced up and noticed that Hermione was obviously trying to get Umbridge's attention.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" Umbridge finally asked, unable to ignore Hermione any longer.

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione replied.

"Well, we're reading just now," Umbridge said, speaking as though she was talking to a small child. "If you have other queries, we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione said.

"And your name is…?" Umbridge asked.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered promptly.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," Umbridge said.

"Well, I don't," Hermione insisted, and Lucy felt her eyebrows rise in surprise and amusement. "There's nothing written up there about _using_ defensive spells," Hermione said.

"_Using_ defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge echoed with a chuckle. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to _use_ a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Students will raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr.…?" Umbridge said.

"Weasley," Ron replied, throwing his hand in the air.

Umbridge looked back at Hermione, who had her hand raised again. Lucy and Harry rose theirs, as well.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked. "You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked.

"No, but—"

"Well, then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the _whole point_ of any class is," Umbridge interrupted. "Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way—"

"What use is that?" Harry asked. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be in a—"

"_Hand_, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge said, cutting him off, and Harry put his hand up.

Umbridge turned away from him. Others now put their hands up, as well.

"And your name is?" Umbridge asked Dean.

"Dean Thomas," he answered.

"Well, Mr. Thomas?" Umbridge prompted.

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" Dean asked. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free."

"I repeated, do you expect to be attacked during my classes?" Umbridge asked.

"No, but—"

"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," Umbridge went on, talking over Dean, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class—very irresponsible indeed—not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin," Lucy snarled angrily, becoming immediately defensive, "he was the best we ever had!"

Umbridge turned to her with a sickly-sweet smile. "And you are…?" she asked.

"Lucy Jones," Lucy replied. "Professor Lupin was the best we had. It doesn't matter that he's a—"

"As I was saying," Umbridge interrupted, silencing Lucy, who glowered at the professor, "you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day—"

"No, we haven't," Hermione piped up. "We just—"

"_Your hand is not up, Miss Granger_!" Umbridge said, and Hermione put her hand up. "It is my understanding," Umbridge continued, ignoring her, "that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them _on_ you—"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" Dean pointed out. "Mind you, we still learned loads—"

"_Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas_!" Umbridge said. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she asked, looking at Parvati, whose hand was now in the air.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.?" Parvati asked. "Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually _do_ the countercurses and things?"

"Well, Miss Patil, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," Umbridge replied.

"Without ever practicing them before?" Sally-Anne spoke up.

"_Hand_, Miss…?" Umbridge scolded.

"Sally-Anne Perks," Sally-Anne answered. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be _during_ our exam?"

"I repeat, Miss Perks," Umbridge said, "as long as you have studied the theory hard enough—"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" Harry spoke up.

"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," Umbridge explained.

"But school is supposed to prepare us for the real world!" Lucy insisted.

"_Your hand is not up, Miss Jones_," Umbridge said.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?" Harry asked.

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said, shaking her head.

"Oh, yeah?" Harry replied.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" Umbridge asked.

"Hmm, let's think…" Harry said mockingly. "Maybe _Lord Voldemort_?"

There were several flinches and gasps at the use of the name, and a lot of the students avoided looking in Harry's direction.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. The rest of the class remained silent, and she continued, "Now, let me make a few things quite plain." She stood up behind her desk and leaned forward. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead," Umbridge began.

"He wasn't dead, but yeah, he's returned!" Harry interrupted.

"Mr. Potter, you have already lost your House ten points; do not make matters worse for yourself," Umbridge said in one breath. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_."

"It is NOT a lie!" Harry shouted. "I saw him! I _fought_ him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge exclaimed. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office."

She took a breath before continuing, "I repeat, _this is a lie_. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means, come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. Now, you will kindly continue your reading—page five, _Basics for Beginners_."

Umbridge returned to her seat, but Harry stood up.

"Harry," Lucy hissed at him, and Hermione tugged at the sleeve of his robes.

He ignored both of them. "So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" he asked.

The whole class turned their attention to him, for Harry had never talked about what happened the night Cedric died to anyone other than Lucy, Hermione, and Ron.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," Umbridge replied.

"It was _murder_," Harry said. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it."

There was a beat of silence as Umbridge and Harry stared one another down.

"Come here, Mr. Potter, dear," Umbridge said.

Harry marched up to the front of the room, where he stood for a few moments while Umbridge wrote something down.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," Umbridge finally said, handing Harry the bit of parchment she had written on.

Harry took the paper, turned on his heel, and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Return to your reading, please," Umbridge said to the rest of the class.

**~LJ:NK~**

The remainder of the class hour was very tense, and when the bell finally rang, the students were all very happy to be leaving the room. Lucy, Hermione, and Ron let the rest of the class hurry ahead of them.

"I can't believe it," Hermione said in a low voice. "She's not going to let us use magic. _Why_? Why wouldn't she let us use magic?"

"The Ministry have gone too far this time," Lucy said. "There is no way they should expect us to do a practical exam when we've never actually performed the spells."

"I wish Harry would work on holding his temper," Hermione added.

"That Umbridge woman deserved it," Ron said angrily.

"I know she did," Hermione agreed, "but she works for the Ministry. She probably reports everything straight to Fudge. If Harry can't learn to control his anger, there are just going to be more stories about him in the _Prophet._ It'll be even harder to convince people he's telling the truth."

They walked along in silence for a few minutes.

"I wonder how fast the news of Harry's little outburst will spread," Lucy said.

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Don't get me wrong—I like most of our classmates," Lucy explained, "but there is no way that they won't be spreading this story at dinner tonight. This is juicy gossip."

"This has been a horrible Monday," Ron whined as they reached the entrance hall. "C'mon, I'm starving."

"You're always starving, Ron," Lucy joked, smiling at her friend, and the three of them entered the Great Hall for dinner.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I love the bit at the beginning where Hermione tells Lavender to sit down and shut up.**_

_**This is about as close to slipping as Lucy gets throughout the series. I originally had her slipping worse in a later chapter (calling him her brother in front of him), but I took it out because it was too awkward.**_


	10. 10: A Long Week

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 10 – A Long Week**

Lucy had been correct in assuming that the news of Harry's outburst would quickly spread through the school. As Lucy, Hermione, and Ron walked down the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table, they could hear the whispers passing the story around.

A few minutes after they sat down, Harry joined them, taking the place beside Hermione. They began to eat in silence, listening to the murmurs around them. Harry sat very rigidly on the bench.

"He says he saw Cedric Diggory murdered—"

"He reckons he dueled with You-Know-Who—"

"Come off it—"

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Pur-_lease_—"

"What I don't get," Harry said when they were nearly done with dinner, dropping his knife and fork to the table, "is why they all believed the story two months ago when Dumbledore told them—"

"The thing is, Harry, I'm not sure they did," Hermione said. "Oh, let's get out of here." She also put her knife and fork down.

Lucy and Ron followed suit, although Ron looked disheartened. The four of them stood and left the Great Hall, the eyes of nearly the entire student body following them out.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Dumbledore?" Harry asked as they climbed the marble staircase.

"Look, you don't understand what it was like after it happened," Hermione said.

"What do you _mean_?" Harry demanded.

"Well, none of us saw what happened in the maze," Lucy explained. "You just appeared out of nowhere with Cedric's body. Most of us didn't even realize there was anything wrong at first. When we found out that Cedric was dead, I'm sure everyone thought that there had been some kind of accident during the task."

"We just had Dumbledore's word for it that You-Know-Who had come back, killed Cedric, and fought you," Hermione finished.

"Which is the God damn _truth_!" Harry exclaimed heatedly.

"I _know_ it is, Harry, so will you _please_ stop biting my head off?" Hermione sighed. "It's just that, before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you're a nutcase and Dumbledore's going senile!"

A few minutes later, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, and Hermione gave the password. They climbed into a fairly empty common room; most people were still at dinner. The four fifth-years took a seat in front of the fire. They were silent for a few moments.

"_How_ can Dumbledore have let this happen?" Hermione exclaimed, and Lucy, Harry, and Ron jumped at her sudden anger. She slammed her fists on the arms of her chair and cried, "_How_ can he let that terrible woman teach us? And in our O.W.L. year, too!"

"Well, we've never had great Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?" Harry asked.

"Remus was pretty good," Lucy argued.

"But you know what it's like," Harry continued. "Hagrid's told us. Nobody wants the job; they say it's jinxed."

"I can't believe she's trying to get people to spy for her," Ron said. "Remember when she said she wanted us to come and tell her if we hear anyone saying You-Know-Who's back?"

"Of _course_ she's here to spy on us all," Hermione said. "It's very obvious. Why else would Fudge have wanted her to come?"

"Don't start arguing again," Lucy said swiftly as Ron opened his mouth. She didn't want Harry to lose his temper.

"Let's just do that homework and get it out of the way," Harry suggested, giving Lucy a grateful glance.

So, they all collected their homework and returned to their seats in front of the fire.

"Shall we do Snape's stuff first?" Ron suggested. He dipped his quill in his ink and began to write on a piece of parchment. "_The properties—of moonstone—and its uses—in potion-making_—" Then he looked at Hermione and asked, "So, what _are_ the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making?"

Hermione, however, was staring across the common room. Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan were sitting in a corner, surrounded by what seemed to be a group of first-years. The first-years were all chewing something.

"No, I'm sorry," Hermione said, getting her feet. "They've gone too far. Come on, Ron."

"I—what?" Ron asked, looking horrified. "No—come on, Hermione—we can't tell them off for giving out sweets—"

"You know perfectly well that those are bits of Nosebleed Nougat," Hermione snapped, "or—or Puking Pastilles, or—"

Suddenly, each of the first-years slumped back into their chairs, as though they had fallen asleep.

"Fainting Fancies?" Lucy suggested.

There were other students who were watching the twins and Lee, and they were laughing. Fred and George, each holding a clipboard, were examining the first-years closely. Hermione stomped over to them, and Ron stood up as though he was going to follow.

He hesitated. "She's got it under control," he muttered before dropping back into his seat.

"That's enough!" Hermione said as she neared the twins, who looked up at her. "I told you this morning that you can't test your rubbish on students!"

"We're paying them!" Fred said.

"I don't care!" Hermione said. "It could be dangerous!"

"Bullshit," Fred scoffed.

"Calm down, Hermione," Lee cut in. "They're fine." He was sticking a purple-colored sweet into the mouths of the first-years.

"Yeah, look, they're coming 'round now," George said, nodding satisfactorily.

The first-years were beginning to stir, many of them looking stunned about what had just happened.

"Feel all right?" George asked one of the girls.

"I-I think so," the girl replied.

"Excellent," Fred said, but Hermione swiftly grabbed the clipboard and the bag of sweets from his hands.

"It is NOT excellent!" she cried.

"'Course it is," Fred insisted, sounding annoyed. "They're alive, aren't they?"

"You can't do this," Hermione said. "What if you made one of them really ill?"

"We're not going to make them ill," Fred explained impatiently. "We've already tested them all on ourselves. This is just to see if everyone reacts the same—"

"If you don't stop doing it," Hermione started, "I'm going to—"

"Put us in detention?" Fred interrupted.

"Make us write lines?" George added mockingly.

People who were watching began to laugh, but Hermione glared angrily at them, her hands on her hips. "No," she said, "but I _will_ write to your mother."

Fred and George stopped laughing at once. "You wouldn't," George said.

"Oh, yes, I would," Hermione replied. "I can't stop you eating the stupid things yourselves, but you're not giving them to first-years." She glared at them for a moment longer before shoving the clipboard and bag of sweets back into Fred's hands.

Turning on her heel, she marched back over to where Lucy, Harry, and Ron were sitting. "Thank you for your support, Ron," she said testily.

"You handled it fine by yourself," Ron replied, not looking at her.

Hermione sighed and stared down at her homework for a minute. "Oh, it's no good," she said. "I can't concentrate now. I'm going to bed." She opened her bag and pulled out what looked like two woolen hats, placing them on the table in front of the fire. Then she spread some balled-up bits of parchment and old quills around them.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Ron asked.

"They're hats, for house-elves," Hermione replied, putting her homework back into her bag. "I did them over the summer. I'm a really slow knitter without magic, but now I'm back at school, I should be able to make lots more."

"You're leaving out hats for the house-elves?" Ron repeated, as though he couldn't believe what Hermione was saying. "And you're covering them up with rubbish first?"

"Yes," Hermione said.

"That's not on," Ron said, shaking his head. "You're trying to trick them into picking up the hats. You're trying to set them free when they might not want to be free!"

"Of _course_ they want to be free!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't you _dare_ touch those hats, Ron!" Then she turned and left for the girls' staircase.

Once she was gone, Ron immediately leaned forward and brushed the trash away from the hats. "They should at least see what they're picking up," he reasoned.

"I don't think that Hermione can set the house-elves free," Lucy said, frowning at the hats. "I mean, the house-elves won't go _near_ the clothes, but I'm pretty sure only Dumbledore would be able to free them."

Ron and Harry shrugged, and Ron looked at his Potions essay. "There's no point trying to finish this now," he sighed. "I can't do it without Hermione. I haven't got a clue what you're supposed to do with moonstone. Have you?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm going to bed, too," he said and stood up, gathering his things. He left for the boys' staircase, leaving Lucy and Ron in the common room.

"So, do _you_ know anything about moonstone?" Ron asked.

Lucy flipped her Potions book open and turned to the chapter that discussed moonstones. Ron groaned and sat back in his chair.

"Well, if you don't want my help, you can go to bed, too," Lucy said, glaring at him.

"No, I need to get this homework done," Ron muttered.

"Well, it's not due until Thursday," Lucy said. "You don't _have_ to get it done tonight."

"I need to get some of it done tonight," Ron insisted. "I have a—thing to do tomorrow."

"A _thing_?" Lucy repeated, raising an eyebrow at him. "What thing?"

"It's not a big deal," Ron mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Come on, Ron—you can tell me," Lucy said, nudging his shoulder.

"You know what? I think I will go up to bed," he said hurriedly. He put his books back into his bag and left for the boys' dormitory after a quick farewell.

Now that Lucy was alone, she was able to concentrate on her Potions essay. It took a while to stretch the essay to twelve inches of parchment, but after an hour, she had managed to finish it.

When she was done, she sat back in her armchair, glancing around the common room. Everyone else was hanging out with their friends, laughing and smiling, but for some reason, Lucy felt disconnected from all of them. There were a lot of them who didn't believe Harry, and Lucy couldn't wait for them to realize how wrong they were.

Quietly, she gathered her school things up, put them all in her bag, and left for the girls' staircase.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Lucy and Hermione met Harry and Ron in the common room before heading downstairs for breakfast. It was a dreary day outside again, with rain clattering against the windows of the castle. When they reached the Great Hall, they saw that Hagrid had still not returned.

"On the plus side, no Snape today," Ron pointed out as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe not, but we have Care of Magical Creatures _and_ Herbology this afternoon," Lucy said. "Hopefully the rain will let up before then."

The four fifth-years began to fill their plates.

"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked suddenly, staring at Hermione.

"The hats have gone," Hermione replied. "Seems the house-elves do want freedom, after all."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Ron replied. "They might not count as clothes. They didn't look anything like hats to me—more like woolly bladders."

"Ron!" Lucy snapped.

"Well, it's true!" Ron said, piling some more bacon on his plate.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of their meal passed silently, with Hermione refusing to speak to Ron. When they were finished, they headed off for their first Charms class of the year. Lucy walked with Hermione ahead of the boys.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hermione replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Ron is being an ass," Lucy answered, chuckling.

"I suppose so," Hermione said, "but he grew up in the Wizarding world. He's had this prejudice against house-elves ingrained in him since the day he was born. I can't expect him to realize right away that it's wrong."

"Well, I guess you're right about that," Lucy said, "but that doesn't mean he needs to go around insulting your knit hats!"

"They definitely weren't the best hats I've ever knitted, though," Hermione admitted. "Now that we're back at Hogwarts, I'll be able to use magic to make them better."

**~LJ:NK~**

They reached the Charms classroom a few minutes later. The Gryffindors all filed in and sat down. Tiny Professor Flitwick sat on his pile of books at the front of the room, beaming around at the students, and began the class with a speech about the importance of the O.W.L. exams.

"What you must remember," he said, "is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. In the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

The rest of the lesson was spent on reviewing the Summoning Charm, and Professor Flitwick let them go at the end of class with a large amount of homework. The fifth-years then proceeded to Transfiguration, complaining the whole time about their Charms homework.

Professor McGonagall also began her class with a lecture about the O.W.L.s "You cannot pass an O.W.L. without serious application, practice, and study," she began. "I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration, as long as they put in the work."

At the table next to Lucy, Neville let out a soft noise of disbelief.

"Yes, you too, Longbottom," Professor McGonagall added, glancing at him. "There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So… today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L."

They took a few notes on Vanishing Spells before they were each given a snail on which to practice. Hermione was successful on her third attempt, and Professor McGonagall granted her ten points to Gryffindor. By the end of class, Lucy had managed to make her snail vanish, as well, although she was not awarded any points. Professor McGonagall told the class to practice the spell before class the following day.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of class, Ron said to the girls, "Harry and I are going to head up to the library to work on some of this homework. Do you want to come with us?"

"No," Hermione said simply, slinging her bag over her shoulder and leaving the classroom.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked, staring after her.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "We're going to go down to lunch," she said, also throwing her bag over her shoulder. "We'll see you in Care of Magical Creatures." She hurried from the room and caught up with Hermione. "Still punishing Ron, I see?" she teased.

"If he thinks he can be rude to me and then expect me to help him with his homework, he's got another thing coming," Hermione replied.

Lucy grinned. "Good for you, Hermione," she said. "Speaking of homework, though, do you want to work on Arithmancy during lunch? I would love to get some of this stuff done."

Hermione agreed, and they spent their lunch hour finishing their Arithmancy homework.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of lunch, Lucy and Hermione left the Great Hall. In the entrance hall, a shout stopped them.

"Lucy!" Jeremy was rushing over to join them, grinning and accompanied by Daphne.

"Hi," Lucy said. "Hi, Daphne."

"Afternoon," Daphne said, smiling at Lucy and Hermione. "Ready to be outside for an hour?"

"At least it's stopped raining," Lucy said, shrugging.

The four students left the castle and walked across the lawn towards Hagrid's hut. Professor Grubbly-Plank was standing a few feet away from Hagrid's cabin. Next to her was a long table covered in what looked like twigs.

Lucy, Hermione, Jeremy, and Daphne were the first to arrive, followed closely by the rest of the Gryffindor fifth-years. A moment later, the rest of the Slytherins had arrived, as well, being led by Malfoy. They were all giggling and looking pointedly at Harry, who was doing his best to ignore them.

"Everyone here?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asked, calling the class to order. "Let's crack on, then—who can tell me what these things are called?"

Hermione immediately rose her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw Malfoy jumping up and down, mocking Hermione's eagerness. Lucy had to take hold of Jeremy's hand to keep herself from reaching for her wand, and Jeremy soothingly stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. Pansy Parkinson laughed loudly at Malfoy's act, but her laugh quickly turned into a scream of surprise as the twigs jumped up, revealing themselves to be alive.

"Ooooooh!" Lavender and Parvati exclaimed.

"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" Professor Grubbly-Plank said, throwing a handful of what looked like brown rice in front of the twig-creatures to eat. "So—anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"

"Bowtruckles," Hermione replied. "They're tree-guardians—they usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor," Professor Grubbly-Plank said, and Lucy quickly squeezed Hermione's elbow. "Yes, these are bowtruckles, and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"

"Wood lice," Hermione answered, "but fairy eggs if they can get them."

"Good girl, take another five points," Professor Grubbly-Plank said. "So, whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered, they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs."

"No kidding," Lucy breathed, and Jeremy gently squeezed her hand.

"So, if you'd like to gather closer," Professor Grubbly-Plank continued. "Take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle—I have enough here for one between three—you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled, to be turned in at the beginning of our next lesson."

Hermione, although still upset with Ron, agreed to partner up with him and Harry, while Lucy went with Jeremy and Daphne. They took one of the bowtruckles and a handful of wood lice and then found a spot near Hermione, Ron, and Harry to do their work.

Drawing the bowtruckle turned out to be a bit more difficult than Lucy had expected. The creature didn't seem to want to stay still for more than a few seconds. Daphne was the first one finished, and she laid back in the grass as Lucy and Jeremy struggled to draw it. Lucy glanced over to her other friends and saw them huddled close together, whispering to each other.

Then Malfoy spoke up loudly from nearby, saying, "Yes, Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know. It sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that over-grown moron _does_ show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."

"OUCH!" Harry gasped, and Lucy looked over to see him holding his hand up, which was dripping blood.

"You all right?" Lucy called over to him.

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking slightly embarrassed.

Hermione handed him a handkerchief from her bag, and he wrapped up his hand.

**~LJ:NK~**

When the bell rang, Lucy said good-bye to Jeremy and Daphne and joined Hermione, Harry, and Ron. "What the hell was all that during class?" she asked immediately.

Harry quickly relayed what Malfoy had said to him about Hagrid. "If he calls Hagrid a moron _one_ _more_ _fucking time_—" Harry glared after the group of Slytherins heading back up to the castle.

"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy," Hermione warned. "Don't forget, he's a prefect now. He could make life difficult for you—"

"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" Harry quipped, causing Ron to laugh and Lucy to snort.

Hermione frowned and said nothing more.

They slowly followed their Gryffindor classmates to their last class of the day, which was Herbology in the greenhouses.

"I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all," Harry said after a few minutes of silence. "And _don't_ say that Grubbly-Plank woman's a better teacher!" he added, looking at Hermione.

"I wasn't going to," Hermione said evenly.

"Because she'll never be as good as Hagrid," Harry finished.

As they came to the greenhouses, they met up with the fifth-year Hufflepuffs, who would be in class with them. They passed one of the greenhouses just as the door opened, and a group of fourth-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws came out.

"Hi!" Ginny said as she walked passed with some of her friends.

"Hi, Ginny," Lucy and Hermione said at the same time.

The rest of the fourth-years filed out, followed slowly by Luna Lovegood. She looked up, saw Harry, and changed direction mid-step to walk over to him. "I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him," Luna said immediately.

"Er—right," Harry replied, looking startled.

Lucy glared over at Lavender and Parvati, who were pointing at Luna's radish earrings and giggling.

"You can laugh," Luna said, thinking that they were laughing at her statement rather than her wardrobe, "but people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"

"Well, they were right, weren't they?" Hermione spoke up. "There _weren't_ any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Luna ignored her, turned on her heel, and strutted away. Most of the other fifth-years were laughing at the girl's peculiar behavior.

"D'you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" Harry asked Hermione irritably as they entered the greenhouse they would be working in that day.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry. You can do better than _her_," Hermione replied scathingly, and Lucy looked at her in surprise. "Ginny's told me all about her. Apparently, she'll only believe in things as long as there's no proof at all. Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone whose father runs _The Quibbler_."

"Come on, Hermione—that's not fair," Lucy said. "Just because she's a bit eccentric—"

They were interrupted by the arrival of Ernie Macmillan, a fifth-year Hufflepuff, who began loudly, "I want you to know, Potter, that it's not only weirdos who support you. I personally believe you one hundred percent. My family have always stood firm behind Dumbledore, and so do I."

"Er—thanks very much, Ernie," Harry replied.

"Lay off the _weirdos_ part next time, though, eh, Ernie?" Lucy asked, frowning at his choice of words.

**~LJ:NK~**

Professor Sprout entered the greenhouse a few minutes later, calling for their attention. She also began her class with a speech about the O.W.L. exams, which the fifth-years were getting quite tired of hearing about.

At the end of another difficult lesson, Professor Sprout gave them an essay for homework, and they all left the greenhouse feeling exhausted.

"I have my first detention tonight," Harry moaned as they made their way up the lawn. "I need to get something to eat; mind going straight to the Great Hall, so I can have some dinner?"

Lucy, Hermione, and Ron agreed. They had made it just inside the Great Hall when a yell from behind them made them stop.

"Oy, Potter!" Turning, they saw Angelina Johnson stomping over to Harry, looking very upset.

"What now?" Harry asked.

"I'll tell you _what_ _now_," Angelina said, poking him in the chest as she stopped in front of him. "How come you landed yourself in detention for five o'clock on Friday?"

"What?" Harry asked. "Why—?" His eyes widened, and he said, "Oh, yeah, Keeper tryouts!"

"_Now_ he remembers!" Angelina cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to do a tryout with the _whole team_ and find someone who _fit in with everyone_? Didn't I tell you I'd booked the Quidditch pitch _specifically_? Now you've decided _you're not going to fucking be there_!"

"I didn't _decide_ not to be there!" Harry insisted. "I got detention from that Umbridge woman, just because I told her the truth about Voldemort—"

"Well, you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday," Angelina said. "I don't care how the hell you do it! Tell her You-Know-Who's a figment of your imagination if you like! Just _make sure you're there_!" She turned and left.

"You know what?" Harry said as he and his friends walked down to the Gryffindor table. "I think we'd better check with Puddlemere United whether Oliver Wood's been killed during a training session, because she seems to be channeling his spirit."

"What d'you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?" Ron asked as they sat down.

"Less than zero," Harry replied, piling some food onto his plate. "Better try, though, hadn't I? I'll offer to do two more detentions or something. I dunno.… I hope she doesn't keep me too long this evening. You realize we've got to write three essays, practice Vanishing Spells for McGonagall, work out a countercharm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing, _and_ start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?"

Ron was looking at the ceiling. "_And_ it looks like it's going to rain," he complained.

"What's that got to do with our homework?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Ron replied quickly.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner, they all went back up to the common room. Harry went to wash up and then said good-bye to his friends before leaving for his detention. Ron quickly excused himself, as well, muttering about having something else to do, leaving Lucy and Hermione to do their homework together.

Lucy and Hermione spent the rest of the evening in the common room, finishing their homework together. Ron eventually rejoined them, looking tired and wet.

"Where have you been?" Lucy asked. "And why are you soaking wet?"

"It was raining," Ron replied vaguely.

"Why were you outside?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head, refusing to answer them. He disappeared up the boys' staircase and didn't come back down.

It was nearly midnight when Lucy and Hermione decided to go up to bed, even though Harry still hadn't returned from his detention.

"I hope that horrible woman doesn't keep him too late," Lucy said as she and Hermione climbed into their beds. "He's not going to have any time to finish his homework at this rate."

Then the girls bid each other good night and went to sleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Lucy and Hermione went down to the common room and found Harry and Ron sitting at a table together, trying to come up with ideas for their dream diary for Divination. The girls ended up going down to breakfast without the boys.

In the Great Hall, Jeremy joined Lucy and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "Good morning," he said, pressing a kiss against the side of Lucy's head as he sat down. "Where are Ron and Harry?"

"Well, Harry had detention last night with that Umbridge woman," Lucy replied, "and Ron was off doing who knows what. So they're upstairs in the common room trying to finish their Divination homework."

"I see," Jeremy said. "The homework load has been quite heavy this year."

"It's not too bad if you can manage your time properly," Hermione commented.

"Or, in Harry's case, if you can learn to control your temper," Lucy said. Jeremy looked at her questioningly, and she asked, "Don't tell me you didn't hear about his outburst in Umbridge's class?"

"No, I heard about it," Jeremy replied. "I just didn't realize that it was a regular thing."

"It has been this year," Lucy said, frowning.

"It must be really hard to have most of the Wizarding world calling him a nutter and not believing him," Jeremy said. He stabbed at his egg with extra force. "I wish I could help," he added quietly.

"You believe us," Lucy said, putting her hand on his arm. "That's more than enough help right now."

"Of course I believe you," Jeremy said, "but I have proof other than Harry's testimony. Except if I were to talk about it, I could put my mother in serious danger."

"It's okay," Lucy said soothingly. She knew that Jeremy had been struggling since You-Know-Who had returned.

"We should probably get going to class," Hermione said, checking her watch.

The three of them finished up their breakfast.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute," Lucy said to Hermione as they stood up.

Hermione nodded and walked towards the entrance hall. Lucy turned to Jeremy, who gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry about me," he said before Lucy could say anything. "I just need to keep my head low about all of this."

"That's kind of hard to do when you're friends with us," Lucy said, "but I understand. You need to stay safe."

Jeremy tucked some of Lucy's hair back behind her ear. "We should get going to class," he said. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Lucy nodded, and Jeremy briefly kissed her. There were some hoots and whistles from people around them, and Lucy rolled her eyes. She and Jeremy parted ways in the entrance hall, and Lucy hurried to catch up with Hermione.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Lucy replied. "He's just been under a bit of stress since You-Know-Who returned, but he'll be okay."

Hermione nodded, and the girls separated as Hermione went off to Ancient Runes and Lucy went to Muggle Studies.

**~LJ:NK~**

When Lucy met up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione again, she and Hermione hurried to ask Harry how his detention had gone.

"It was fine," he mumbled. "She just had me doing lines."

"Well, that's not too bad, is it?" Hermione said soothingly.

"She had you there for a long time, considering you were just doing lines," Lucy said, frowning. "Did you ask her if you could have Friday off?"

"She said I couldn't, of course," Harry replied. "Angelina's going to kill me."

Hermione began, "Well, if you would just learn to keep your temper—"

"I _know_, Hermione," Harry interrupted irritably. "I can't go back and change what happened now, though, can I?"

**~LJ:NK~**

After another long and stressful day, along with another large load of homework, Lucy, Hermione, Harry, and Ron went down to the Great Hall for dinner. Angelina cornered Harry once more, and she was very unhappy to hear that Harry was unable to get out of detention on Friday.

"I'm not impressed with your attitude, Potter," Angelina glowered. "I expect that players who wish to remain on the team put their training before any other commitments." Then she stomped away.

"I'm in detention!" Harry exclaimed loudly at her back. "D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"

"At least it's only lines," Hermione said as Harry sat back down at the Gryffindor table. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really.…"

Harry looked as though he was going to say something, but he decided against it and nodded instead.

"I can't believe how much homework we've got," Ron whined.

"Well, why didn't you do any last night?" Hermione asked.

"Where were you, anyway?" Lucy added.

"I was—I fancied a walk," Ron replied, not looking at either girl.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next couple days passed in a very similar manner. While Lucy and Hermione were keeping up with their homework, Harry still had detentions to do, and Ron was never in the common room in the evenings.

Friday night finally arrived, and the Gryffindor common room was buzzing about the Quidditch tryouts. Lucy and Hermione were tucked away in a corner, doing some homework, when the portrait hole opened, and the Quidditch team flooded in with cases of butterbeer.

"C'mon, everyone, we're celebrating!" Fred announced, holding up the butterbeer. "My little brother Ron has just been made Keeper!"

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a surprised glance before jumping up and hurrying over to their friend.

"You tried out for Keeper?" Hermione asked. "Is that why you haven't been in the common room all week?"

"Yeah," Ron replied, blushing slightly.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were planning on trying out?" Lucy asked, happy for her friend but a little irritated that he had felt the need to keep it a secret.

"I didn't want you to make fun of me," Ron insisted.

Fred then passed the three of them bottles of butterbeer, and they touched bottles before taking a swig.

The party, though low-key, went on into the night. Lucy sat with Hermione for a while, until Hermione fell asleep in her chair. Fred and George took the opportunity to test some more of their Skiving Snackboxes on willing first-years.

The portrait hole opened again, and Lucy saw Harry step into the common room, looking a bit pale. Before she could go over to him, Ron had lurched across the room.

"Harry, I did it!" he said. "I'm in! I'm Keeper!"

"What? Oh—brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, trying to look excited.

Lucy stared suspiciously at him, looking him up and down to try and figure out why he looked so shaken up. Her eyes stopped on his hand, which looked like it was bleeding.

"Have a butterbeer," Ron said, handing him a bottle. "I can't believe it—where's Hermione gone?"

"She's there," Fred said, pointing over to the chair Hermione was slumped in.

"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," Ron said.

Lucy joined them. "Of course she's pleased," she said.

"Let her sleep," George added.

"Come here, Ron," Katie Bell, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, called from the other side of the room. "Let's see if Oliver's old robes fit you. We can take off his name and put yours on instead.…"

Ron walked over to them, and Lucy turned to Harry to ask about his hand. Before she could speak, however, Angelina came up to them.

"Sorry I was a bit short with you earlier, Potter," she said to Harry. "It's stressful, this managing lark. You know, I'm starting to think I was a bit hard on Wood sometimes." She paused and then continued, "Look, I know he's your best mate, but he's not fabulous. I think, with a bit of training, he'll be all right, though. He comes from a family of good Quidditch players. I'm banking on him turning out to have a bit more talent than he showed today, to be honest. Vicky Frobisher and Geoffrey Hooper both flew better this evening, but… Hooper's a real whiner—he's always moaning about something or other—and Vicky's involved in all sorts of societies. She admitted herself that if training clashed with her Charm Club, she'd put Charms first.

"Anyway, we're having a practice session at two o'clock tomorrow, so just make sure you're there this time. Oh, and do me a favor—help Ron as much as you can, okay?" Harry nodded, and Angelina left again.

"Harry, is something wrong with your hand?" Lucy asked finally, pointing at his hand.

"Come over here," Harry replied, gesturing at her to follow him. He went over to where Hermione was sitting.

Hermione woke up when Harry put his bag onto the table. "Oh, Harry, it's you…" she said. "Good about Ron, isn't it? I'm just so—so—so tired. I was up until one o'clock making more hats. They're disappearing like mad!"

"Great," Harry said. "Listen—Hermione—Lucy—I was just up in Umbridge's office, and she touched my arm.…" He proceeded to explain how he had felt a pain in his scar when she had touched him.

"So you're worried that You-Know-Who's controlling her like he controlled Quirrell?" Lucy asked when he'd finished.

"Well, it's a possibility, isn't it?" Harry replied in a low voice.

"I suppose so," Hermione said, "but I don't think he can be _possessing_ her the way he possessed Quirrell. I mean, he's properly alive again, now, isn't he? He's got his own body—he wouldn't need to share someone else's. He could have her under the Imperius Curse, I suppose.…" There was a moment of silence before Hermione added, "But last year, your scar hurt when nobody was touching you, and didn't Dumbledore say it had to do with what You-Know-Who was feeling at the time? I mean, maybe this hasn't got anything to do with Umbridge at all. Maybe it's just a coincidence it happened while you were with her."

"She's evil," Harry said. "Twisted."

"She's horrible, yes," Lucy agreed.

Hermione, sounding hesitant, said, "Harry—I think you ought to tell Dumbledore your scar hurt."

"I'm not bothering him with this," Harry said firmly. "Like you just said, it's not a big deal. It's been hurting on and off all summer—it was just a bit worse tonight, that's all—"

"Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would _want_ to be bothered by this," Lucy said.

"Yeah, that's the only bit of me Dumbledore cares about, isn't it? My scar?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Don't say that!" Hermione gasped. "It's not true!"

"I think I'll write Sirius about it," Harry suggested. "Just to see what he thinks—"

"Harry, you can't put something like that in a letter!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't you remember? Moody told us to be careful what we put in writing! We just can't guarantee owls aren't being intercepted anymore!"

"All right, all right! I won't tell him, then!" Harry huffed. He stood up. "I'm going to bed. Tell Ron what happened for me, will you?"

"Oh, no," Hermione said. "If you're going, that means I can go without being rude, too. I'm absolutely exhausted, and I want to make some more hats tomorrow. Listen, you can help me, if you like. It's quite fun, and I'm getting better. I can do patterns and bobbles and all sorts of things now."

"Er—no, I don't think I will, thanks," Harry replied awkwardly. "Er—not tomorrow. I've got loads of homework to do.… Lucy, will you tell Ron?"

"Yeah, I can," Lucy replied, "but—what's wrong with your hand?"

Harry didn't answer her; he just picked up his bag and left for the boys' staircase, leaving Hermione and Lucy to stare after him.

**~LJ:NK~**


	11. 11: Fireplace Conversations

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Fireplace Conversations**

Lucy woke up the next morning, happy that they had finally reached the first weekend.

Hermione was already awake and sitting up in her bed, magically knitting another elf hat. "Good morning," she said briskly.

"Morning, 'Mione," Lucy replied. "How long have you been awake?"

"A little while," Hermione answered. "Parvati, Lavender, and Sally-Anne were already gone, so I figured I'd take advantage of the peace and quiet. But now that you're awake—do you want to get some breakfast?"

"Yeah," Lucy said.

She got out of bed and changed out of her pajamas. Hermione also changed, and then the girls went down to the common room. There they met up with Ron, who was still basking in the joy of becoming Keeper.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Nice day, right?"

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a look, chuckling. "Morning, Ron," Lucy said. "Shall we go down to breakfast?"

Ron agreed, and the three Gryffindors headed down to the Great Hall.

"So, where's Harry?" Hermione asked as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"I dunno," Ron replied. "He was gone when I woke up."

"Gone?" Lucy repeated, frowning.

Ron shrugged, reaching for the dishes of breakfast.

A few minutes later, Harry joined them. "Morning," he said happily, sitting down next to Hermione.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Erm—Quidditch later," Harry replied.

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. "So, where were you this morning?" she asked.

"Nowhere," Harry insisted, piling some bacon onto his plate. "Don't worry about it."

"Listen…" Ron started. "You don't fancy going out to the pitch a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to—er—give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit.…"

"Yeah, okay," Harry agreed.

"Look, I don't think you should," Hermione cut in. "You're both really behind on homework as it is…"

She trailed off as owls began to swoop into the Great Hall, carrying the morning mail. A few moments later, one of the owls landed next to her, delivering her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Hermione paid the owl and unfolded the paper.

"Anything interesting?" Ron asked.

"No," Hermione replied, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married.…" She leafed through the paper as Lucy, Ron, and Harry continued their breakfast.

"Wait a moment," Hermione gasped suddenly. "Oh, no… Sirius!"

"What's happened?" Harry asked, trying to grab the newspaper from Hermione so hastily that the page tore in half.

"_The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer—_blah blah blah_—is currently hiding in London!_" Hermione read aloud in a whisper.

"I'll bet anything it was Lucius Malfoy who told them," Lucy said furiously. "He _did_ recognize Sirius on the platform—"

"What?" Ron asked, startled. "You didn't say—!"

"Sh!" the others hushed him.

"_Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous—killed thirteen people—broke out of Azkaban—_The usual rubbish," Hermione finished reading. She set down her part of the newspaper and looked at her friends worriedly before adding, "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all. Dumbledore did warn him not to."

There was a moment of silence as the four Gryffindors pondered what this meant for Sirius.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, laying his half of the newspaper on the table. "Look at this!"

Lucy and Ron frowned in confusion; all they could see was an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"I've got all the robes I want, thanks," Ron said, shaking his head.

"No, look," Harry said impatiently. "This little piece here.…" He turned it around, so Lucy and Ron could read it.

_**Trespass at Ministry**_

_Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defense, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban._

"Sturgis Podmore?" Ron said. "He's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord—"

"Ron, _sh_!" Lucy hissed, glancing around them to make sure he wasn't overheard.

"Six months in Azkaban!" Harry said in a low voice. "Just for trying to get through a door!"

"Don't be silly," Hermione said. "It wasn't just for trying to get through a door—what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?"

"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron asked.

"Wait a moment…" Harry began, frowning. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"

"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross," Lucy confirmed. "Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up."

"That doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?" Harry pointed out.

"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," Hermione guessed.

"It could be a frame-up!" Ron guessed. "No—listen! The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so—I dunno—they _lured_ him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!"

Harry didn't look convinced, but Lucy and Hermione exchanged a glance.

"Do you know," Hermione said, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was true."

There was another moment silence as they all finished up their breakfasts.

"Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs first," Hermione began briskly. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus before lunch—"

"You know, Hermione, we're going to go down to the Quidditch pitch," Harry said. "In fact, we should head down there right now."

Ron brightened up at this. "Yeah!" he agreed enthusiastically, and he hopped up from the table.

"You know, if you don't do your homework, you will never pass your O.W.L.s!" Hermione exclaimed. "And I won't let you copy off me!"

Harry and Ron just grinned at the girls and departed.

"Morning." Jeremy had arrived, pressing a kiss to the side of Lucy's head as he sat down.

"Hey," Lucy said, smiling at him.

He greeted Hermione, as well, taking in her scowl. "What did those boys do this time?" he asked, smirking knowingly, and Hermione shook her head.

"Well, they're both very behind on homework," Lucy explained. "Ron spent the past week practicing for Quidditch tryouts, and Harry's been in detention every night. They have Quidditch practice today, and instead of getting caught up on their homework, they decided to go down to the pitch early."

Hermione huffed. "I mean it, you know," she grumbled. "I'm not going to let Ron copy off me this year if this is going to be his attitude about schoolwork. I know he's excited about making the team—"

"Ron made the Quidditch team?" Jeremy asked. "Very impressive."

"I know," Hermione sighed. "I'm happy for him—I really am. I just think he needs to sort out his priorities. Homework should come first, especially since it's O.W.L. year."

"I suppose you're right," Jeremy replied. "So, is that what you're planning on doing today? Homework?"

"Probably," Lucy said. "The teachers are being especially ruthless this year, and we've only been back for a week. I'm starting to regret choosing three extra classes back in third year now."

The three students stayed in the Great Hall for a little while longer before Hermione insisted that they get started on all the work they had to do. They left the Great Hall and went into the entrance hall.

"Hermione, you go on ahead," Lucy said, pausing at the foot of the marble staircase. "I'll catch up to you in a minute." Hermione nodded and headed up the stairs, while Lucy turned back to Jeremy. "I'm sorry to run off on you already," she said.

"That's okay," Jeremy replied. "Homework is important. I have a lot to do, as well."

"It's just—It's kind of hard to move our relationship forward when we can't spend time together, though," Lucy said shyly, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"It also doesn't help that I'm the son of a Death Eater, and you're a _Muggle-lover_," Jeremy said, using his fingers to make quotation marks in the air. He reached over and tucked some of Lucy's hair behind her ear. "The important thing is that you still want to be with me. That's all I care about right now."

"Of course I still want to be with you!" Lucy exclaimed.

Jeremy smiled. "Then everything else will work itself out," he said. "We'll just have to make some study dates in the library." Then he kissed her.

"Ow-ow!"

"Get a room!"

Jeremy pulled away from Lucy, shaking his head. Lucy blushed, glancing around the entrance hall.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes," Lucy promised.

Jeremy smirked, quickly kissing her once more, before leaving for his common room.

Lucy turned around and went up the marble stairs. When she reached the common room, she found Hermione settling down to start working on her homework. Lucy quickly got her school things and joined her friend.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy and Hermione completed a few of their assignments before deciding to head back down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"So, how are things with you and Jeremy?" Hermione asked as she and Lucy set off from Gryffindor Tower.

"Everything's okay," Lucy replied. "I feel like I've hardly gotten to see him, except for the classes we share. This morning we agreed that we needed to set some study dates in the library, so we could spend more time together outside of class."

"There's always Hogsmeade, as well," Hermione pointed out helpfully. "You two don't need to come with us all the time."

"It's not just that," Lucy sighed. "I mean, I have to keep _everything_ about the Order from him, as well. I hate keeping secrets from him, but I know I have to, especially since his father's a Death Eater."

"He's on our side, though," Hermione said. "He knows that you're not really keeping secrets from him. You're just not telling him sensitive information. Soon he'll be seventeen, and he'll be able to leave his parents' house."

"That's still over a year from now," Lucy complained. "I wish I could tell him everything now, but I could never ask him to leave his parents. He'd have nowhere to go. I don't want to put him in danger. This whole You-Know-Who thing is making everything so complicated!"

The two girls reached the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table next to Neville.

"Hello," Neville greeted them, smiling. "How's your Saturday coming along?"

"Pretty well," Lucy replied. "How about you?"

"I've been okay," Neville replied. "Been struggling a bit with McGonagall's essay, but I've almost finished it."

A few minutes later, Harry and Ron joined them. Hermione glowered at them as they sat down.

"So, how was flying?" Lucy asked lightly, glancing at Hermione.

"It was fine," Harry replied. "Ron blocked nearly everything I threw at him. Mind you, I'm not a Chaser, but after a few practices, I'm sure he'll be great."

Ron nodded, shoveling food into his mouth.

"You know, both of you really have a lot of homework to do," Hermione said.

"Well, we're not going to be able to do it until tonight," Ron said. "We've got practice after lunch."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Leave it, Hermione," Lucy said gently. "There's nothing they can do about it. They made a commitment to the team."

**~LJ:NK~**

After lunch, Harry and Ron hurried back out to the Quidditch pitch, and Lucy and Hermione returned to the common room. They continued to work on their homework for a few hours before Harry and Ron returned. Ron looked upset as he and Harry approached the girls.

"How was practice?" Lucy asked, while Hermione made it a point to not look up.

Harry started, "It was—"

"Completely lousy," Ron cut in, plopping into the chair next to Hermione.

Hermione looked up, her irritation with Ron seemingly gone. "Well, it was only your first one," she said. "It's bound to take time to—"

"Who said it was me who made it lousy?" Ron asked roughly, glaring.

"No one," Hermione replied quickly. "I thought—"

"You thought I was bound to be rubbish?" Ron demanded.

"No, of course I didn't!" Hermione insisted. "Look, you said it was lousy, so I just—"

"I'm going to get started on some homework," Ron grumbled. He stood up and disappeared up the boys' staircase.

"_Was_ he lousy?" Lucy asked, looking at Harry.

"No," Harry said. Lucy and Hermione exchanged a look before raising their eyebrows at him, and he added quietly, "Well, I suppose he could've played better, but it was only the first training session, like you said.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

For the rest of the evening, the four fifth-years continued to work on their homework. Harry and Ron seemed particularly distracted, and Ron went up to bed surprisingly early. After Hermione left, as well, Lucy turned to Harry.

"Okay, what's wrong, Harry?" she asked. "Ron seems really frustrated. Did something happen at practice?"

"Well," Harry started awkwardly, "a group of Slytherins showed up to watch us. Ron managed to hit Katie in the face with the Quaffle, and her nose started bleeding. Fred gave her something to stop the bleeding, but it only made it worse.… Meanwhile, all the Slytherins were chanting _Gryffindors are losers_, and Ron was a nervous wreck. We ended up having to stop practice early so that Fred and George could take Katie to the hospital wing."

"Wow," Lucy said when he was done. "No wonder he was so distracted. You two are going to have a lot to do tomorrow, though. By the way, don't for a second think that Hermione is going to help either of you."

"I know," Harry said glumly. "I don't think I can concentrate on this anymore tonight, though. I'm going to head up to bed." He gathered up his things and stood up.

"Wait," Lucy stopped him. "Before you go, you _have_ to tell me what was wrong with your hand last night."

Harry hesitated. "There's nothing wrong with it," he mumbled.

"You're a fucking _terrible_ liar, Harry," Lucy scolded. "Let me see it."

Harry gave her a calculating look for a moment before sighing and holding out his hand to her. Lucy could see that there were scars beginning to form on the back of it.

"What is this?" she gasped.

"I told you, I've been doing lines," Harry said. "Umbridge has a special quill for it."

"Special _how_?" Lucy pressed, letting go of Harry's hand.

"It—it cuts into the back of my hand," Harry replied in a very low voice. "Instead of ink, it uses my blood."

Lucy felt her mouth drop open. "You can't be serious," she said. "She can't be doing that to you. You _need_ to tell someone about this."

"No," Harry said immediately. "I don't want her to think that she's got to me."

"But, Harry—"

"Good night, Lucy," Harry interrupted, turning abruptly and leaving for the boys' staircase.

Lucy watched him go, a feeling of dread sinking in her gut. Not only was Umbridge not allowing them to use magic, she was torturing the students that she gave detention to. Lucy frowned, staring down at the table she was sitting at, wondering just how far the Ministry was going to go to try and silence Harry and Dumbledore.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning at breakfast, Jeremy joined Lucy and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "So, did you get all your homework done yesterday?" he asked after he sat down.

"We finished most of it," Lucy replied brightly. "One more essay to go."

"In that case, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk with me around the grounds?" Jeremy asked hopefully. "I mean, who knows how long the weather is going to stay nice?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Lucy agreed, smiling at him.

They finished up their breakfasts, said good-bye to Hermione, and headed out to the grounds. Jeremy took Lucy's hand in his as they strolled around the lake.

"So, how was your summer?" he asked.

"Well—erm—it was all right," Lucy said vaguely. "I mean, I can't really talk about much of it.…"

"I know," Jeremy sighed. "This sucks. It's like we can hardly talk about anything now. It's all my fault."

"Don't say that!" Lucy exclaimed, stopping and spinning around to stand in front of him. "It's not your fault that your father made the choices he did."

Jeremy looked down at his feet, frowning. "I wish I could leave home," he admitted. He glanced up at Lucy, smirking, and added, "Think the Weasleys could take in another kid?"

Lucy giggled. "Imagine how upset your parents would be if you left them and started living with the Weasleys," she said. "Speaking of your parents, do you talk to them about how you feel about all of this?"

"No," Jeremy replied. "I avoid my father for the most part. Besides, it's not like they openly discuss his Death Eater ways in front of me. My mother especially likes to avoid mentioning it—it's this big taboo thing—like if she ignores it, then it's not there."

They continued around the lake for a few minutes in silence.

"So, if we can't talk about our summers or home lives," Lucy started, "I suppose we'll have to find something else to talk about. What about school? How do you like your classes?"

"They're all right," Jeremy answered. "Oh, hey, do you want to sit down for a bit?" He gestured to a large rock along the shore, and Lucy gladly sat down on it.

"I wish that the teachers would stop lecturing us about how important O.W.L.s are," she complained as Jeremy sat down next to her. "We get it: these exams are a big deal. You can stop shoving it down our throats now."

"Yeah, I suppose it's getting a bit annoying," Jeremy said. "They just want us to succeed, though."

"Well, _most_ of them," Lucy said.

"Snape?" Jeremy asked, chuckling.

"You have to admit, he's quite unpleasant to a lot of us Gryffindors," Lucy pointed out. "I'm sure he'd love to not see any of us in his N.E.W.T. class. I'm sure you'll get in just fine."

"Do you really want to take Potions at N.E.W.T. level?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"I really haven't thought about it a lot," Lucy said. "I want to help work on wizard and Muggle relations. I remember walking around at the Quidditch World Cup last summer and seeing how many wizards can't function in Muggle society. It's so bizarre to me; witches and wizards in America can pass for Muggles pretty easily, but for some reason, witches and wizards in Britain can't."

"You know, I've never really thought about it, but you have a point," Jeremy said thoughtfully. "I suppose if you're a witch or wizard who never spends time in the Muggle world, you forget how to function in it."

"What about you?" Lucy asked. "What do you want to do? Be an Auror, like Harry and Ron?"

"Maybe not an Auror," Jeremy replied. "I would like to do something in law enforcement, though."

They were quiet for a few minutes, soaking in the sunrays. Lucy tentatively leaned back against Jeremy's chest and shoulder. He put his arm around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. Lucy didn't think she'd ever been so content to just sit with someone.

"So, how do you feel about Umbridge?" Lucy asked eventually.

"She's a bit obvious, don't you think?" Jeremy said. "I mean, the only reason she's here is to keep tabs on Dumbledore and the rest of the staff for the Ministry."

"That's what Hermione was saying, too," Lucy said, frowning. "I can't believe she's not going to let us do magic in class! How are we supposed to take a practical exam when we've never cast any of the spells we'll be tested on?"

"Yeah, that part is a bit weird," Jeremy agreed. "But hey, look at it this way: she probably won't last 'til the end of the year."

Lucy laughed and lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him. "That's what I said, too!" she said gleefully.

Jeremy smiled down at her and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes. Lucy, her heart beating a little bit faster than normal, stretched up and kissed him. He returned the kiss, cradling the back of her head in his hand. They remained in their embrace for a few moments, their mouths moving together.

When they finally came up for air, Lucy couldn't help the sigh that escaped her. She blushed as Jeremy grinned at her.

"I think you fancy me," he teased.

"Yeah, well, you fancy me, too," Lucy shot back.

"Hm," Jeremy hummed in acceptance, and then he leaned down to kiss her again.

**~LJ:NK~**

A little while later, Lucy and Jeremy went back up to the castle to finish their homework. They parted in the entrance hall after a brief kiss, and Lucy hurried up to the Gryffindor common room. When she arrived, she saw Harry and Ron bent over a table and surrounded by books. Hermione was sitting across the room with Ginny, doing magical knitting.

"Hello, boys," Lucy greeted, walking over to Harry's and Ron's table.

They both looked up at her. "Where've you been?" Ron asked.

"Jeremy and I went for a walk around the grounds, since we're caught up on our homework," Lucy replied. "Well, mostly caught up. Do you mind if I join you? I have a Muggle Studies essay I want to finish before lunch."

"Pull up a seat," Harry said.

"I need to get my things first," Lucy said. "I'll be back in a minute."

She trooped up to her dormitory, retrieved her backpack, and rejoined the boys in the common room. Shoving aside Ron's History of Magic textbook, she sat down in one of the empty seats and pulled out her essay.

**~LJ:NK~**

By lunchtime, Lucy had finished her Muggle Studies essay as planned, and she glanced at the boys to see how they were doing. "Okay, you two," she began, "I'm going to assume you've been doing homework since after breakfast, yes?"

"Yeah," Ron grunted.

"Then I think it's time for you two to take a break and get something to eat," Lucy finished. "C'mon, get up. Time for lunch."

The boys reluctantly stood up, and the three of them went down to the Great Hall for some lunch.

**~LJ:NK~**

For the rest of the afternoon, Lucy joined Ginny and Hermione lounging around the common room.

"So, Ginny, how's your boyfriend?" Lucy asked, grinning and leaning back in her chair. Evie trotted over and jumped up into her lap, curling into a ball.

"He's fine," Ginny replied. "I mean, he's a good snog and all, but he might be _too_ into his schoolwork. He's such a Ravenclaw sometimes that it can get irritating."

"How do you know he's a good snog?" Lucy asked curiously. "Have you snogged someone else to be sure?"

"Well… no, I haven't," Ginny answered. "I don't hate it, though, so it can't be that bad. How about you? Is Jeremy a good kisser?"

"Yeah, I think he is," Lucy said thoughtfully. "I mean, I've got nobody to compare him to, either, but I also don't hate it. What about you, Hermione?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked quickly, her cheeks going red.

"Don't tell us you never snogged Krum last year?" Ginny said.

Hermione stammered, "Well, I-I—"

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Lucy assured her, pausing for effect before adding, "but we're going to take that as a yes." She and Ginny exchanged grins.

"All right, all right," Hermione grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, we snogged. It was only a few times, though."

"How was it?" Ginny asked, looking intrigued.

"It was fine, I guess," Hermione replied, her cheeks going red. "Now can we change the subject, please?"

**~LJ:NK~**

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and then went down to dinner together. After dinner, Lucy joined Fred and George in the common room for some games of Exploding Snap.

It was nearly midnight when Lucy and Hermione went over to see how Harry and Ron were doing on their homework.

"Nearly done?" Lucy asked.

"No," Ron replied bitterly.

"Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede, not Callisto," Hermione said, looking over Ron's Astronomy essay, "and it's Io that's got the volcanoes."

"Thanks," Ron growled, scribbling out the wrong information.

"Sorry," Hermione said. "I only—"

"Yeah, well," Ron interrupted, "if you've just come over here to criticize—"

Hermione tried to say, "Ron—"

"I haven't got time to listen to a sermon, all right, Hermione?" Ron stated. "I'm up to my neck in it here—"

"No—look!" Hermione said, pointing to one of the windows.

The others all looked over to see an owl standing on the windowsill.

"Isn't that Hermes?" Lucy asked, bewildered.

"Blimey, it is!" Ron said, also surprised. He stood up, adding, "What's Percy writing to _me_ for?"

He went over to the window and let the owl in. Hermes flew into the common room and landed on the boys' table, holding his leg out. Ron pulled the letter off, and the owl flew back out the window and into the night. Lucy went over and shut the window behind him as Ron looked at the letter.

"That's definitely Percy's handwriting," Ron said, sitting back down and flipping the letter around so the others could see that it was addressed to him. "What d'you reckon?" he asked uncertainly.

"Open it!" Lucy and Hermione insisted, and Harry nodded in agreement.

Ron unfolded the letter and read it through. The further he read, the more annoyed he looked. When he was finished, he held the letter out wordlessly for the others to see. Lucy and Hermione leaned over Harry to read it.

_Dear Ron,_

_I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister of Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect._

_I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news, and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the "Fred and George" route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility._

_But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron. I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions._

_From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternization with that boy. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this—no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favorite—but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge of Hogwarts much longer, and the people who count have a very different—and possibly more accurate—view of Potter's behavior. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow, you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing—and see if you can spot yours truly!_

_Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter. It could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school, too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot, and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality if you ask me, and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt._

_It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter—I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent—but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behavior that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a really delightful woman, who I know will be only too happy to advise you._

_This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that so far Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week—again, see the _Prophet_ tomorrow!). I shall say only this—a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years!_

_I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticize our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. (If you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders.) I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people—the Minister really could not be more gracious to me—and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions, either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realize how mistaken they were, and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes._

_Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect._

_Your brother,_

_Percy_

Lucy was clenching her jaw very tightly when she had finished reading and looked back up at Ron, who looked as though he was also trying to contain himself.

Harry cleared his throat. "Well, if you want to—er—what is it?" he said, glancing back at the letter to check something. "Oh, yeah—_sever ties_ with me—I swear I won't get violent."

"Give it back," Ron demanded, his voice shaking angrily. Harry handed the letter over immediately, and Ron started to tear it up, saying, "He is—the world's—biggest—fucking—_git_." He took the pieces of letter over to the fire and threw them in.

"Come on; we've got to get this finished some time before dawn," Ron said, walking back over to his and Harry's table. He sat down and stared at his Astronomy essay.

"Oh, give them here," Hermione said suddenly, holding her hands out.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Give them to me," Hermione sighed. "I'll look through them and correct them."

"Are—are you serious?" Ron asked. "Ah, Hermione, you're a lifesaver. What can I—?"

"What you can say is, _we promise we'll never leave our homework this late again_," Hermione said, sitting down and taking their essays from them.

"Thanks a million, Hermione," Harry said.

Lucy chuckled.

The last few people trickled out of the common room as Hermione went through the boys' essays. Harry and Ron sat on the couch in front of the fire, looking exhausted, while Lucy sat in one of the armchairs.

"Ron," Hermione said softly, coming over to him with his essay in one hand and another piece of parchment in the other. Ron looked up as Hermione sat down in the armchair next to him and handed him the essay and the other parchment. "Okay, write that down," she said, motioning to the other parchment, "and then copy out this conclusion I've written for you."

"Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," Ron said, "and if I'm ever rude to you again—"

"I'll know you're back to normal," Hermione finished for him, sounding amused. She turned to Harry and said, "Harry, yours is okay except for this bit at the end. I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra; Europa's covered in _ice_, not mice—"

"Harry?" Lucy asked, noticing that he wasn't paying attention to what Hermione was saying. Harry got out of his chair and crouched in front of the fire, and Lucy tried again, "Er—Harry? Why are you down there?"

"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," Harry replied matter-of-factly.

Lucy jumped up and joined her brother in front of the fire, but she didn't see anything.

"Sirius's head?" Hermione echoed. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now! It would be too—"

"_Sirius_!" Lucy exclaimed.

Sirius's head had just appeared in the fire, grinning up at his godchildren. "I was starting to think you'd gone to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry asked, chuckling.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear yet," Sirius replied, nodding.

"What if you'd been seen?" Hermione asked, standing up behind Lucy and Harry to look into the fire.

"Well, I think a girl—first-year, by the look of her—might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Sirius said, noticing the look of horror on Lucy's face. "I was gone the moment she looked back at me, and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly shaped log or something."

"Sirius, this is taking an awful risk," Hermione said.

"You sound like Molly," Sirius said. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code—and codes are breakable."

Lucy looked at Harry, her mouth dropping open. "You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" she said.

"I forgot," Harry said sheepishly. Lucy continued to stare at him, and he added, "Don't look at me like that. There was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," Sirius replied. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed—your scar."

Ron began, "What about—?"

"We'll tell you afterward. Go on, Sirius," Hermione urged.

"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about," Sirius said. "It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," Harry replied. "So maybe he was just—I dunno—really angry or something the night I had that detention."

"Well, now that he's back, it's bound to hurt more often," Sirius said.

"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it," Sirius answered. "I know her by reputation, and I'm sure she's no Death Eater.…"

"She's foul enough to be one," Harry muttered, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," Sirius said. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though—you should hear Remus talk about her."

"Does he know her?" Lucy asked.

"No," Sirius replied, shaking his head, "but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job."

Lucy scowled.

"What's she got against werewolves?" Hermione asked.

"Scared of them, I expect," Sirius said. "Apparently, she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year, too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose—"

"Sirius," Lucy groaned, and at the same time, Hermione exclaimed, "Sirius!" Ron roared with laughter.

"Honestly, if you made a bit of effort with Kreacher, I'm sure he'd respond," Hermione continued. "After all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said—"

"So, what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Sirius asked, stopping Hermione. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"

"No," Harry replied. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"

"All we do is read the stupid textbook," Ron added.

"Ah, well, that figures," Sirius said. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"_Trained in combat_?" Harry repeated. "What does he think we're doing here—forming some sort of wizard army?"

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," Sirius said. "Rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing—forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

"A private army of _children_?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Ron said. "And that's including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."

"So, we're being prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts, because Fudge is scared we'll use magic against the Ministry?" Hermione asked for clarity, sounding upset.

"Yep," Sirius answered simply. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's only a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

"D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow?" Harry asked. "Only Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be.…"

"I don't know," Sirius replied, frowning. "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend. They're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here.…"

"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?" Hermione asked.

"Ah…" Sirius said, "well, he was supposed to be back by now. No one's sure what's happened to him." There was a pause as Sirius took in their panic-stricken faces, and he quickly continued, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you four get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."

"If he was supposed to be back by now…" Lucy said, trailing off uncertainly.

"Madame Maxime was with him, and we've been in touch with her," Sirius replied. "She says they got separated on the journey home. There's nothing to suggest he's hurt, or—well, nothing to suggest he's not perfect okay."

Lucy exchanged a glance with Harry.

"Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," Sirius advised them. "It'll just draw even _more_ attention to the fact that he's not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough; he'll be okay.

"Anyway, when's your next Hogsmeade weekend? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could—"

"NO!" Lucy, Harry, and Hermione shouted, and Sirius looked taken aback.

"Sirius, didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, that," Sirius replied. "They're always guessing where I am, but they haven't really got a clue—"

"Yeah, but we think this time they have," Harry said. "Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius—you know, Lucius Malfoy—so don't come up here, whatever you do. If Malfoy recognizes you again—"

"All right, all right," Sirius said. "I've got the point. It was just an idea—thought you might like to get together—"

"I would! I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!" Harry exclaimed.

There was a pause.

"You're less like your father than I thought," Sirius said. "The risk would've been what made it fun for James."

"Sirius, that's not fair," Lucy said.

Harry started, "Look—"

"Well, I'd better get going," Sirius cut him off. "I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs. I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?"

Then, with a _pop_, Sirius's head disappeared from the fire.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: This story definitely has more scenes regarding Lucy's and Jeremy's relationship. I wanted to show it growing more, both physically and emotionally.**_

_**Lucy is able to read Harry really well, mostly because Harry wears his heart on his sleeve. He's not very good at hiding his emotions, and Lucy picks up on that and will call him out on it when she thinks it's necessary.**_

_**We are now 1/3 of the way through this story!**_


	12. 12: Umbridge: High Inquisitor

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Umbridge: High Inquisitor**

The next morning, Lucy, Hermione, Ron, and Harry went down to breakfast, ready to scour through the _Daily Prophet_ to find what Percy had mentioned in his letter. However, when the owl brought Hermione the newspaper, it took Hermione mere seconds to find what they were looking for.

"Look at this!" she gasped, spreading the front page across the table so the other three could see it. There was a large picture of Umbridge smiling up at them underneath the headline:

_**Ministry Seeks Educational Reform  
Dolores Umbridge Appointed First-Ever "High Inquisitor"**_

"_High Inquisitor_?" Harry asked, dropping a bit of toast onto his plate. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

Hermione cleared her throat and began to read the article aloud.

_In a surprise move last night, the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation, giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

"_The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve."_

_This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30, Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

"_That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success—"_

"She's been a WHAT?" Lucy asked, letting out an incredulous laugh.

"Wait, there's more," Hermione said before continuing to read.

"—_an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."_

_It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of "Hogwarts High Inquisitor"._

"_This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the 'falling standards' at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."_

_The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

"_I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."_

_Among those "eccentric decisions" are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror "Mad-Eye" Moody._

_Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts._

"_I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward insuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence," said a Ministry insider last night._

_Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts._

"_Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office," said Madam Marchbanks. "This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore." (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17.)_

"Wow," Lucy said. "One woman disagrees with Fudge, and the newspaper starts a smear campaign the next day."

"So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge!" Hermione said. "Fudge passed this _Educational Decree_ and forced her on us! And now he's given her the power to inspect the other teachers! I can't believe this. It's _outrageous._…"

"I know it is," Harry agreed.

Lucy nodded. She looked at Ron, who had a smile growing on his face. "What?" Lucy, Harry, and Hermione asked him.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," Ron explained. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."

"Well, come on," Hermione said, standing up. "We'd better get going. If she's inspecting Binns's class, we don't want to be late.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

There was no need to worry, though. Umbridge wasn't in their History of Magic class, nor was she in their next class, which was Potions. Snape handed back their essays, and Lucy found an A written on the top of the page.

"I got an A," Lucy said to Jeremy, flashing her essay at him. "What did you get?"

"An O," Jeremy replied, sounding surprised.

"Is that good?" Lucy asked, confused about the grading scale.

"An O is the highest you can get," Jeremy replied. "I didn't think that I did that well on this essay, though."

"What's an A then?" Lucy asked.

"Well, the passing grades are O, E, and A, in that order," Jeremy said. "So, you definitely passed."

"The lowest pass, though," Lucy said, frowning.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L," Snape explained, having finished passing out their homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination." He paused, looking around the class, before continuing, "The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

"Some people got _D's_?" Malfoy hissed loudly. "Ha!"

Snape set them to work on their potion for the day: the Strengthening Solution.

About halfway through brewing the potion, Jeremy said, "Whoa, be careful."

Lucy froze with her hand over her cauldron.

"You have to stir it a bit more before you put that in," Jeremy told her.

"Oh, right," Lucy muttered. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked.

Lucy sighed. "Yeah," she answered. "I'm just a little upset with my grade. I know it's silly, but I tried really hard on that essay and barely passed."

"But you _did_ pass," Jeremy said encouragingly. "At least you didn't get a D." Lucy gave him a small smile, and he added, "You know, we can work on the next essay together if you want."

"Yeah, okay," Lucy agreed.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of the hour, they all packed up their things. Lucy and Jeremy joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the way to lunch.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week, was it?" Hermione asked. "The homework didn't go too badly either, did it?"

"No, it was okay," Lucy answered, although she was the only one to reply.

"I mean, all right, I didn't expect the top grade," Hermione continued. "Not if he's marking to O.W.L. standard, of course, but a pass is quite encouraging at this stage, wouldn't you say?"

Harry and Ron didn't answer again. The five students entered the Great Hall.

"Of course, a lot can happen between now and the exam," Hermione went on. "We've got plenty of time to improve, but the grades we're getting now are a sort of baseline, aren't they? Something we can build on.…"

Lucy and Jeremy exchanged looks as they sat down next to each other at the Gryffindor table.

"Obviously," Hermione plowed on, "I'd have been _thrilled_ if I'd gotten an O—"

"Hermione," Ron snapped, "if you want to know what grades we got, just ask."

"I don't—I didn't mean—well, if you want to tell me…" Hermione trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"I got an A," Lucy offered, "and Mr. Potions over here got an O." She jabbed her thumb at Jeremy.

"_You got an O?_" Hermione asked, her eyes wide, and Jeremy flushed slightly.

"Well, I got a P," Ron snarled, stabbing at his carrots. "Happy?"

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Fred said, joining them along with George and Lee Jordan. "Nothing wrong with a good, healthy P." The three boys sat down at the table.

Hermione started, "Doesn't P stand for—?"

"Poor, yeah," Lee finished for her. "Still, better than a D, isn't it? Dreadful?"

Harry let out a loud cough, and Lucy looked at him quizzically.

"So top grade's O for Outstanding," Hermione said, "and then there's A—"

"No, E," George corrected. "E for Exceeds Expectations. And I've always thought Fred and I should've got an E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for exams."

Everyone laughed, except for Hermione. "So, after E, it's A for Acceptable, and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yep," Fred replied.

"Then you get P for Poor," Ron said, putting his arms up in mock celebration for his grade, "and D for Dreadful."

"And then T," George said.

"T?" Hermione asked. "Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?"

"Troll," George replied matter-of-factly, and Lucy snorted.

"You lot had an inspected lesson yet?" Fred asked.

"No," Hermione answered immediately, "have you?"

"Just now, before lunch," George said. "Charms."

"What was it like?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time, and Lucy exchanged a glance with Jeremy.

"Not that bad," Fred answered, shrugging. "Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard. You know what Flitwick's like. He treated her like a guest; it didn't seem to bother him at all. She didn't say much. She asked Alicia a couple of questions about what classes are normally like, and Alicia told her they were really good. That was it."

"I can't see old Flitwick getting marked down," George added. "He usually gets everyone through their exams all right."

"Who've you got this afternoon?" Fred asked, looking at Harry.

Harry answered, "Trelawney—"

"A T if I ever saw one," Fred said, and Lucy laughed.

"—and Umbridge herself," Harry finished.

"Well, be a good boy and keep your temper with Umbridge today," George said. "Angelina'll do her nut if you miss any more Quidditch practices."

**~LJ:NK~**

After lunch, they all parted ways for class. Lucy and Hermione went to Arithmancy, and Harry and Ron headed off to Divination.

Umbridge was not in Lucy's and Hermione's Arithmancy class, and Professor Vector let them go at the end of the hour with another long essay. The girls went down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and met up with the boys, who were quick to tell them about how Umbridge had been in their Divination class.

"She _demanded_ that Trelawney predict something for her," Harry told the girls in a hushed voice as they entered the classroom. "Of course, Trelawney couldn't predict anything, but Umbridge insisted. So Trelawney told her that she was in grave danger. It was obvious that Umbridge didn't believe her."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Umbridge had called the class to attention.

"Wands away," she told them, a wide smile on her face. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, _Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation_. There will be no need to talk."

Lucy flipped her book open to chapter two, gazing down at the text on the page for a few minutes before noticing that Hermione had her hand in the air again.

Umbridge noticed a few minutes later, and she came over to Hermione instead of calling on her from the front of the room. "What is it this time, Miss Granger?" she asked quietly.

"I've already read chapter two," Hermione replied in a normal voice, so the class could hear her.

"Well, then, proceed to chapter three," Umbridge simpered.

"I've read that, too," Hermione said. "I've read the whole book."

Lucy tried very hard not to laugh out loud at the surprised look on Umbridge's face.

"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen," Umbridge said.

"He says that counterjinxes are improperly named," Hermione answered promptly. "He says _counterjinx_ is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable." Umbridge raised her eyebrows, and when she didn't say anything, Hermione added, "But I disagree."

"You disagree?" Umbridge repeated, surprised.

"Yes, I do," Hermione replied. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Umbridge said. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion—not yours—that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

"I think Hermione's just trying to start a discussion," Lucy said before she could stop herself. "Isn't that part of the point of class?"

"That is enough," Umbridge snapped. She moved back to the front of the class and stood in front of them all before saying, "Miss Granger, Miss Jones, I am going to take ten points from Gryffindor house."

Lucy's jaw dropped open.

"What for?" Harry spoke up.

"Don't you get involved!" Hermione hissed across the aisle, and Lucy shot him a glare, as well.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Umbridge replied. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them—with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects—would have passed a Ministry inspection."

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," Harry said sarcastically. "There was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."

Lucy snorted, but she was the only one to do so. Everyone else was completely silent.

"I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said, "and a further five points from Gryffindor for you, Miss Jones."

Lucy rolled her eyes.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Angelina stomped over to Harry at breakfast, looking very upset. She began to yell at him, causing so much disruption that Professor McGonagall had to come over to get her to stop.

"Miss Johnson, how _dare_ you make such a racket in the Great Hall?" she scolded. "Five points from Gryffindor!"

"But, Professor—he's gone and landed himself in detention _again_," Angelina said, pointing at Harry.

"What's this, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at him. "Detention? From whom?"

"Professor Umbridge," Harry replied in a low voice, looking at his feet.

"Are you telling me," Professor McGonagall started, "that after the warning I gave you last Monday, you lost your temper in Professor Umbridge's class _again_?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

"Potter, you must get a grip on yourself!" Professor McGonagall said. "You are heading for serious trouble! Another five points from Gryffindor!"

"But—what?" Harry asked. "Professor, no! I'm already being punished by _her_. Why do you have to take points, as well?"

"Because detentions do not appear to have any effect on you whatsoever!" Professor McGonagall insisted. "No, not another word of complaint, Potter! As for you, Miss Johnson, you will confine your shouting matches to the Quidditch pitch in future or risk losing your team captaincy!"

Professor McGonagall and Angelina both left then, after Angelina gave Harry a withering look.

"She's taken points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every fucking night!" Harry complained. "How is that fair? _How_?"

"I know, mate," Ron replied. "She's bang out of order."

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a glance before Hermione lifted her paper up in front of her face.

"You think McGonagall was right, do you?" Harry asked, sounding upset.

"Of course she's right!" Lucy said exasperatedly. "She's told you, Hermione's told you, and I've told you! _You need to control your temper_. I know Umbridge is a nightmare—I can't stand her either—but you need to stop getting into trouble. She's reporting _directly_ to Fudge. Do you understand how much she could be telling the Ministry about you?"

Harry glowered at his plate.

**~LJ:NK~**

After breakfast, Lucy and the others went to their first class of the day, which was Charms. Harry didn't say much throughout the class hour, but when the Gryffindors got to Transfiguration later that day, they found Umbridge standing in the room with her clipboard.

"Excellent," Ron whispered. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

Lucy smiled, turning her attention to Professor McGonagall, who was striding to the front of the room.

"That will do," she said, and the class quieted. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework. Miss Brown, please take this box of mice—don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you—and hand one to each student."

Seamus took the pile of homework, and Lavender took the box of mice from Professor McGonagall.

"_Hem, hem_," Umbridge fake-coughed from her corner of the room, but Professor McGonagall ignored her.

Lucy received her essay from Seamus and was happy to see an E written at the top of the page. She pushed her essay over to Hermione, so she could see.

"Very nice," Hermione commented, nodding, as she accepted a mouse from Lavender.

"Come on," Lucy teased. "Let's see that O."

Hermione let Lucy see her paper, smiling proudly.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely," Professor McGonagall said as Seamus and Lavender returned to their seats. "Dean Thomas, if you do that to that mouse again, I shall put you in detention. Most of you have now successfully vanished your snails, and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be—"

"_Hem, hem_," Umbridge said again, louder this time.

"_Yes_?" Professor McGonagall asked impatiently, rounding on the other professor.

"I was just wondering, Professor," Umbridge began, "whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspect—?"

"Obviously I received it," Professor McGonagall interrupted, "or I would have asked what you were doing in my classroom." She turned back to the class and continued, "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell—"

"_Hem, hem_."

Professor McGonagall turned back to Umbridge once again, looking furious. "I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me?" she asked. "You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Lucy struggled to repress a snort, having to put her hand over her mouth. Umbridge stared at Professor McGonagall before writing something down on her clipboard.

"As I was saying," Professor McGonagall said, turning back to the class, "the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be Vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So—you know the incantation. Let me see what you can do.…"

The Gryffindors spent the rest of the hour attempting to Vanish their mice. Hermione was, of course, the first one to be able to Vanish her mouse. By the end of the hour, Lucy had managed to, as well. About half their classmates had achieved their goal, while some people had random parts of their mice left.

At the end of class, they all packed up and headed for the door, but Harry stopped Lucy, Ron, and Hermione. They looked to the front of the room, where Umbridge had approached Professor McGonagall.

"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked.

"Thirty-nine years this December," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Very well," Umbridge said, making a note on her clipboard. "You will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

"I can hardly wait," Professor McGonagall said dryly. She finished collecting her things and started for the door. "Hurry up, you four," she added, shuffling Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione out of the room ahead of her.

**~LJ:NK~**

Next was Care of Magical Creatures, and as the Gryffindors walked down the lawn towards Hagrid's hut, they were surprised to see Umbridge standing next to Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"You do not usually take this class, is that correct?" they heard Umbridge ask Professor Grubbly-Plank as they approached.

"Quite correct," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied. "I am a substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid."

Jeremy had joined Lucy then, touching her hand gently to let her know that he was standing next to her. Lucy gave him a soft smile but looked behind him when she heard whispering. Malfoy was muttering to Crabbe and Goyle about something, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at them.

"Hmm," Umbridge said. "I wonder—the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter—can _you_ tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's very extended leave of absence?"

"'Fraid I can't," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied. "Don't know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore—would I like a couple of weeks teaching work—accepted—that's as much as I know. Well… shall I get started, then?"

"Yes, please do," Umbridge said.

Professor Grubbly-Plank set the students to work, and Umbridge began milling among them, asking them questions instead of simply observing like she had in the other classes.

After a while, she returned to Professor Grubbly-Plank's side. "Overall," Umbridge began, "how do you, as a temporary member of staff—an objective outsider, I suppose you might say—how do _you_ find Hogwarts? Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?"

"Oh, yes, Dumbledore's excellent," Professor Grubbly-Plank responded pleasantly. "No, I'm very happy with the way things are run. Very happy indeed."

"And what are you planning to cover with this class this year—assuming, of course, that Professor Hagrid does not return?" Umbridge asked, making a few notes on her clipboard.

"Oh, I'll take them through the creatures that most often come up in O.W.L.," Professor Grubbly-Plank answered. "Not much left to do—they've studied unicorns and nifflers. I thought we'd cover porlocks and kneazles—make sure they can recognize crups and knarls, you know.…"

"Well, _you_ seem to know what you're doing, at any rate," Umbridge said, writing something else on her clipboard. Then she turned to Goyle and asked, "Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?"

"That was me," Malfoy spoke up gleefully. "I was slashed by a hippogriff."

"A hippogriff?" Umbridge repeated, sounding intrigued.

"Only because he was too stupid to listen to what Hagrid told him to do," Harry said loudly.

Lucy, Ron, and Hermione exchanged exasperated glances with one another.

Umbridge swiveled slowly on the spot to look at Harry. "Another night's detention, I think," she said. "Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank. I think that's all I need here. You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days."

"Jolly good," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied, and Umbridge left for the castle.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, Lucy, Hermione, and Ron waited in the common room for Harry to return from his detention with Umbridge. They were sitting in silence, their homework laying forgotten on a nearby table, and it was getting quite late. All the other Gryffindors had gone up to bed.

"We have to do something about this Umbridge business," Hermione said suddenly. She was staring down at a bowl of yellow liquid that she had procured from somewhere, although she wouldn't say where.

"What can we do, though?" Lucy asked. "Anytime someone tries to stand up to her, she gives them detention.…"

"Maybe we could poison her," Ron said grimly.

"Be serious, Ron," Lucy said. "We couldn't do that."

Then the portrait hole opened, and Harry climbed into the common room. He spotted his friends waiting for him and walked over immediately.

"Here," Hermione said, pushing her bowl of yellow stuff towards him. "Soak your hand in that. It's a solution of strained pickled murtlap tentacles. It should help."

"Thanks," Harry said as he put his hand into the bowl. A look of relief washed over his face, and he sat down in an empty armchair. Crookshanks was quick to jump into his lap.

"I still reckon you should complain about this," Ron muttered.

"No," Harry said.

Ron began, "McGonagall would go nuts if she knew—"

"Yeah, she probably would," Harry interrupted. "And how long d'you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another damn decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"

Ron opened his mouth as though he was going to argue, but then he paused for a moment before shutting it again.

"She's an awful woman," Lucy said angrily. "Fucking _awful_."

"You know, I was just saying when you came in, Harry… we've got to do something about her," Hermione said.

"I suggested poison," Ron added.

"No… I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is and how we're not going to learn any defense from her at all," Hermione said.

"Well, who else could we learn defense from?" Lucy asked. "It's not like any of the other teachers have the time, and I don't think there's a way to get Umbridge fired. Fudge will make sure that she stays."

"Well," Hermione began. "You know, I was thinking today.…" She paused, glancing at Harry before continuing, "I was thinking that—maybe the time's come where we should just—just do it ourselves."

"Do what ourselves?" Harry asked.

"Well—learn Defense Against the Dark Arts ourselves," Hermione clarified.

"Come off it," Ron scoffed. "You want us to do _extra_ _work_? D'you realize Harry and I are behind on homework _again_, and it's only the second week?"

"But this is much more important than homework!" Hermione exclaimed.

Harry and Ron had looks of disbelief on their faces, and even Lucy felt surprised.

"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework," Ron commented.

"Don't be silly! Of course there is!" Hermione insisted. "It's about preparing ourselves for what's waiting out there, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year—"

"We can't do much by ourselves," Ron pointed out. "I mean, all right—we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try to practice them, I suppose—"

"No, I agree," Hermione said. "We've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books. We need a teacher—a proper one—who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

"If you're talking about Lupin…" Harry trailed off, looking confused.

"No, no, I'm not talking about Lupin," Hermione replied. "He's too busy with the Order, and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends. That's not nearly often enough."

"Who, then?" Lucy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione sighed, looking Harry dead in the eye. "I'm talking about _you_, Harry."

There was a stunned silence, and Lucy frowned in thought.

"About me what?" Harry finally asked.

"I'm talking about _you_ teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said.

Lucy exchanged a thoughtful look with Ron. "That's an idea," Ron said, and Lucy nodded slowly in agreement.

"What's an idea?" Harry questioned.

"You," Ron answered. "Teaching us to do it."

"But…" Harry trailed off, grinning as though he were waiting for one of them to tell him they were just joking. "I'm not a teacher. I can't—"

"Harry, you're the best in the year at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione stated.

"Me?" Harry repeated, still looking unconvinced. "No, I'm not. You've beaten me in every test—"

"Actually, I haven't," Hermione told him. "You beat me in our third year—the only year we both sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject. I'm not talking about exam results, anyway, Harry. Just look what you've _done_!"

"How d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"You know what? I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron joked.

"Ron," Lucy murmured, shaking her head at him. She turned to Harry and said, "First year—you saved the Philosopher's Stone from You-Know-Who."

"That was luck," Harry said. "That wasn't skill—"

"Second year," Ron cut in, "you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle."

"Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn't turned up, I—"

"Third year," Lucy continued, "you fought off about a hundred dementors at once."

"You know that was a fluke," Harry said exasperatedly. "If the Time-Turner hadn't—"

"Last year," Ron interrupted again, "you fought off You-Know-Who again—"

"Listen to me!" Harry half-shouted. "Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck—I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I didn't plan any of it. I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help—"

Hermione and Ron were exchanging smirks, and Lucy could see that Harry was growing upset. "Harry," she tried to say.

"Don't sit there grinning like you know better than I do," Harry said, staring at Hermione and Ron. "I was there, wasn't I? I know what went on, all right? I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts. I got through it all because—because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right—but I just blundered through it all. I didn't have a clue what I was doing—STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!" Harry had jumped to his feet, knocking the bowl of murtlap essence to the floor.

"_You don't know what it's like_!" he snarled. "You—none of you—you've never had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorizing a bunch of damn spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you know there's nothing between you and dying except your own—your own brain or guts or whatever—like you can think straight when you know you're about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die—they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that—and you three sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive—like Diggory was fucking _stupid_ and messed up—you just don't get it. That could just as easily have been _me_. It _would_ have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me—" He stopped abruptly, breathing heavily.

"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," Ron said. "We weren't having a go at Diggory. We didn't—you've got the wrong end of the—" He looked at the girls, not knowing what to say.

"You just said it, though, Harry," Lucy said. "They don't teach us instinct here at school, but you've got a hell of a lot of instinct when it comes to defending yourself—don't try to deny that—and you have that instinct because you've been put in those situations."

"Don't you see?" Hermione continued. "This—this is exactly why we need you.… We need to know what it's r-really like—facing him—facing V-Voldemort."

Lucy looked at Hermione in surprise, not expecting her to use You-Know-Who's name. Harry sank back into his armchair, glancing at his bloody hand as he did.

"Well… think about it," Hermione said. "Please?" Harry nodded, and Hermione stood up. "I'm off to bed," she said. "Lucy?"

"Right behind you," Lucy replied. "Good night," she added to the boys, and she followed Hermione to the girls' staircase.

"Well, that didn't go as well as I'd hoped," Hermione admitted as the girls walked up the stairs. "Do you think he'll go for it?"

"I couldn't tell you one way or the other," Lucy replied.

"Do you think it's a good idea? Harry teaching us, I mean?" Hermione asked.

"You know, I wasn't so sure at first, but after hearing him say all those things, I think he'd be a great person to do it," Lucy answered. "So, would it just be the four of us? I mean, I'm sure other students would be interested in this."

"If Harry is even interested in doing this, it'd be up to him," Hermione said. "I wouldn't want to overwhelm him."

"We could have our own little club," Lucy said, amused. "Our own little defense club. How do you think Umbridge would react if she found out about it, though?"

"We'll just have to keep quiet about it around her," Hermione decided.

The girls had reached their dormitory. Hermione pushed the door open, and they quietly entered the room; Lavender, Parvati, and Sally-Anne were already asleep.

"We can talk about it more in the morning," Hermione whispered after she and Lucy had gotten into their beds. "Good night, Lucy."

"Night, 'Mione," Lucy returned.

**~LJ:NK~**


	13. 13: The Rebellious Plan

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 13 – The Rebellious Plan**

The next morning, Lucy and Hermione started to hash out the idea of Harry teaching them Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I think we should ask around and see if anyone else would be interested in something like this," Hermione suggested.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," Lucy agreed. "Who do we want to talk to, though?"

"I'm thinking we can start with the other fifth-years," Hermione replied. "We can ask everyone in our house, but I was thinking about talking to Ernie, Hannah, and maybe some of the other Hufflepuffs, too. I figured you'd talk to Jeremy and his friends."

"We could have Ginny talk to her friends if she's interested," Lucy said thoughtfully. "How about Fred and George, too?"

"That sounds like a good start to me," Hermione said. "Now let's just hope that Harry will be up for this, especially if a lot of people are interested."

**~LJ:NK~**

A few days later, Lucy joined Jeremy, Daphne, and Jake in the library to study.

"Okay, I need an opinion," Lucy said as she sat down at the table that the other three were already occupying. She paused to briefly kiss Jeremy in greeting.

"Go ahead," Daphne said, putting her quill down. "We're all ears."

"Well, I suppose I need to know how you feel about Umbridge first," Lucy started. She looked at her boyfriend.

"You know how I feel," Jeremy said. "I think it's ridiculous that she's not letting us use magic, and it's obvious that she's only here to spy on all of us for Fudge."

Lucy nodded and then looked at Jake.

"I feel pretty much the same," Jake said. "It's really a shame that they're sacrificing our education, especially in our O.W.L. year."

"You are _such_ a Ravenclaw," Daphne cut in. "Look, I think you're both being really polite about this. Lucy, Umbridge is a giant _bitch_. I wish somebody would just put her in her fucking place."

"You should have seen McGonagall being inspected," Lucy chuckled. "You would have _loved_ it."

"So, why do you want to know how we feel about Umbridge?" Jake prompted.

"Hermione and I think we've come up with a plan to help us learn Defense Against the Dark Arts properly, so we can defend ourselves," Lucy continued. "We'd like to do well on our O.W.L. exam, of course, but we think it's just as important that we can actually perform the spells to protect ourselves."

"What's the plan?" Daphne asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure if it's going to be as exciting as you're thinking," Lucy warned the Slytherin girl, who waved a hand impatiently.

"Anything that's going to undermine Umbridge is going to make me excited," she insisted.

"All right," Lucy said with a laugh. "Well, we thought that it was time to take things into our own hands and find someone who would be able to teach us. And we were thinking about having Harry do it."

There was a moment of silence.

"You know…" Jeremy began, "that might not be such a bad idea."

"I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical," Jake cut in. "What makes you think that Harry would be able to teach us?"

"He's just been through so much," Lucy said. "Saving the Philosopher's Stone, defeating the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, fighting off an army of dementors—"

"I guess he _has_ done a lot," Jake said.

"If it helps us to go behind Umbridge's back, I'm all for it," Daphne said enthusiastically. "Let's do it."

"I second that," Jeremy chimed in. He and Daphne looked expectantly at Jake.

"Well," he said, "all right. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try and actually _learn_ some defensive spells."

Daphne grinned at him.

"I just want to make it clear that Harry hasn't actually agreed to this yet," Lucy said. "Hermione and I wanted to see if anyone else would be interested. Maybe it'll help Harry decide to do it."

"Well, sign us up," Daphne said. "I'm sure that Mary will be interested, as well."

"Good," Lucy said. "I'll let you know if Harry is going to do this. Hopefully, he'll agree to it."

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, Lucy told Hermione that Jeremy, Daphne, and Jake would be interested in learning from Harry.

"That's great," Hermione said. "I talked to Ginny, who said she would talk to Michael and some of her other friends. I also ran the idea by Ernie and some of the other Hufflepuffs, and they all seemed interested, as well."

"I suppose we should talk to Fred and George next," Lucy said.

"I was going to talk to Neville tonight, too," Hermione said.

"I'll talk to Sally-Anne," Lucy added. "When should we bring this all up to Harry again?"

"I think we should give him a week or two," Hermione answered. "It'll give him some time to think about it."

"All right," Lucy agreed. "I just don't want him to _forget_ about it, either."

Hermione chuckled.

**~LJ:NK~**

Two weeks later, Lucy was back in the library, this time with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were busy working on their homework when Hermione cleared her throat.

"I was wondering whether you'd thought any more about Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry," she said.

Lucy sat up straighter, pushing her Potions textbook away from her.

"'Course I have," Harry replied. "Can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us—"

"I meant the idea we had—" Hermione stopped as Ron shook his head hastily. "Oh, all right, the idea _I_ had, then—about you teaching us."

Harry avoided the question for a moment, turning a page in his Potions book. "Well," he answered slowly after a moment, "yeah, I—I've thought about it a bit."

"And?" Lucy pressed.

"I dunno," Harry mumbled. He looked over at Ron.

"I thought it was a good idea from the start," Ron said immediately, and Lucy rolled her eyes at him.

"You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?" Harry asked, looking at the three of them in turn.

"_Yes_, Harry," Lucy said, "but there's no point in pretending that you're not good at Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely," Hermione continued, "and you can produce a Patronus. You can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't. Viktor always said—"

"Yeah?" Ron said suddenly, whipping his head around to look at Hermione. "What did _Vicky_ say?"

"Ho, ho," Hermione replied. "He said Harry knew how to do stuff even _he_ didn't, and he was in his final year at Durmstrang."

"You're not still in contact with him, are you?" Ron asked.

"So what if I am?" Hermione shot back, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I can have a pen pal if I—"

"He didn't only want to be your pen pal," Ron grumbled.

"Shut up, Ron," Lucy said.

"Well, what do you think?" Hermione turned back to Harry. "Will you teach us?"

"Just you, Lucy, and Ron, yeah?" Harry asked.

"Well," Hermione said warily. "Well—now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please—but I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort—oh, don't be pathetic, Ron—it doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people."

"Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you three would want to be taught by me," Harry said. "I'm a nutter, remember?"

"I think you might be surprised by how many people would be interested in hearing what you've got to say," Lucy said.

"Look," Hermione said, leaning in towards the others and lowering her voice, "you know the first weekend in October's a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who's interested to meet us in the village, and we can talk it over?"

"Why do we have to do it outside school?" Ron asked.

"Because I don't think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to," Hermione answered.

**~LJ:NK~**

As the Hogsmeade weekend approached, Lucy and Hermione let those who were interested in the defense group know that they were having a meeting in Hogsmeade.

The first person that Lucy talked to was Jeremy, who had joined her at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. "I have good news," she started as Jeremy sat down.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Harry's agreed to teach us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Lucy replied.

"Daphne's going to like that," Jeremy commented.

"We're going to have a meeting in Hogsmeade this weekend at the Hog's Head," Lucy went on. "Can you make sure that Daphne, Jake, and Mary know about it?"

"Sure thing," Jeremy said.

"I'm so glad that you, Daphne, and Mary will be coming," Lucy confessed. "I think it'll be important to have some Slytherins around. We have to stop encouraging each other to alienate your house."

Jeremy smiled at her.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few days later, Lucy was sitting with Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the common room when Harry voiced his concerns about Sirius showing up at Hogsmeade.

"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to get out and about," Ron said. "I mean, he's been on the run for over two years, hasn't he? I know that can't have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn't he? Now he's just shut up all the time with that lunatic elf."

Hermione gave Ron a very dark look. "The trouble is, until V-Voldemort—oh for heaven's _sake_, Ron—comes out into the open, Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn't he?" she said. "I mean, the stupid Ministry isn't going to realize Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore's been telling the truth about him all along. Once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again, it'll be obvious Sirius isn't one.… I mean, he hasn't got the mark, for one thing."

"I don't think he's going to be stupid enough to show up," Lucy said hopefully. "Dumbledore would be so angry if Sirius was spotted, and Sirius always listens to Dumbledore, even when he doesn't want to."

Harry looked unconvinced.

"Listen, Lucy and I have been sounding out people who we thought might want to learn some proper Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said, "and there are a couple who seem interested. We've told them to meet us in Hogsmeade."

"Right," Harry said, sounding distracted.

"Everything will be okay, Harry," Lucy said. "You've got enough on your plate without worrying about Sirius, too."

**~LJ:NK~**

The Hogsmeade weekend had finally arrived. It was a bright, windy morning, and after breakfast, Lucy, Ron, Harry, and Hermione lined up in the entrance hall to leave the castle. Filch was checking to make sure everyone had permission, and when the four Gryffindors reached him, Filch sniffed at Harry before letting them move on.

"Er—why was Filch sniffing you?" Ron asked as the four of them began the walk down to Hogsmeade.

"I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs," Harry replied, chuckling. "I forgot to tell you.…" Then he told them that when he had sent his letter to Sirius, Filch had burst in, thinking that Harry was ordering Dungbombs.

Lucy and Ron laughed when he finished, but Hermione was frowning in thought. "He said he was tipped off you were ordering Dungbombs?" she asked. "Who had tipped him off?"

"I dunno," Harry answered. "Maybe Malfoy. He'd think it was a laugh."

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated. "Well—yes—maybe…"

They reached the village and started to walk down High Street.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Harry spoke up. "The Three Broomsticks?"

"Oh—no," Hermione answered. "No, it's always packed and really noisy. We've told the others to meet us in that other pub, the Hog's Head—you know the one—it's not on the main road. I think it's a bit… you know… _dodgy_… but students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be overheard."

Hermione led the way down High Street and then onto a side street. At the end of the side street was the small building they were looking for.

"Well, come on," Hermione said, sounding anxious.

Lucy pushed the door open, and the four of them went inside.

The inside of the bar was small and dark. The windows and floor were very dirty, and there was a strange smell about the place. There were a few people sitting around, and most of them had their heads and faces covered.

"I don't know about this, Hermione," Harry murmured as they walked over to the bar. "Has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?"

Lucy looked at the woman in the corner, who was veiled; only the tip of her nose was visible.

"Umbridge is shorter than that woman," Hermione replied. "Anyway, even if Umbridge _does_ come in here, there's nothing she can do to stop us, Harry. I've double- and triple-checked the school rules. We're not out-of-bounds; I specifically asked Professor Flitwick whether students were allowed to come in the Hog's Head. He said yes, but he advised me strongly to bring our own glasses. And I've looked up everything I can think of about study groups and homework groups, and they're definitely allowed. I just don't think it's a good idea if we _parade_ what we're doing."

"No, especially as it's not exactly a homework group you're planning, is it?" Harry said slyly.

The barman then entered the room, standing behind the bar. "What?" he asked gruffly.

"Four butterbeers, please," Hermione said.

The man pulled four bottles out from under the counter. "Eight Sickles," he grunted.

"I'll get them," Harry said, quickly handing over the Sickles.

The man looked at Harry for a brief moment before taking the money and throwing it into the wooden register. Harry then led the way over to a table on the other side of the room.

"You know what?" Ron said quietly. "We could probably order anything we like in here. I bet that bloke would sell us _anything_. He wouldn't care. I've always wanted to try firewhiskey—"

"You—are—a—_prefect_," Hermione said.

"Oh," Ron said. "Yeah.…"

"So, who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Harry asked.

Lucy and Hermione exchanged a glance. "Just a couple of people," Hermione said vaguely. "We told them to be here about now, and I'm sure they all know where it is—oh, look, this might be them now—"

Neville and Dean entered first, followed by Lavender. Lucy was still surprised that Lavender had been interested in learning from Harry after what she had said at the beginning of the year. Next came Parvati and Padma Patil, who were followed by Cho Chang and one of her friends. Luna Lovegood came in next, followed by the three Gryffindor Chasers: Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson. Colin Creevey bounded in eagerly, and he was followed by a group of Hufflepuffs: Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones. Following them were Sally-Anne and two Hufflepuff boys called Alfie Doyle and Oliver Rivers. Then Ginny entered with her boyfriend Michael Corner and two other Ravenclaw boys, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot. Jeremy, Daphne, Jake, and Mary followed, and Jeremy smiled warmly at Lucy. Another Hufflepuff boy came in next, and Lucy wasn't sure who he was. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were the last ones to enter the pub.

"Hey," Lucy said as Jeremy walked up to her. "Glad you could make it. Hi, Mary, Daphne, Jake." She smiled, and Daphne grinned back.

"A couple of people?" Harry hissed at Hermione and Lucy, who turned back to her brother. "A _couple of people_?"

"Yeah, well, the idea seemed popular," Lucy said, shrugging.

"There are _over_ _thirty people here_," Harry whispered hoarsely.

"Yes, I suppose there are," Lucy said absently. "Should we pull up some more chairs?"

The other Hogwarts students were milling around the room. Many of them headed for the bar.

"Hi," Fred said to the bartender, who seemed frozen in shock at all the customers. "Could we have… thirty-one butterbeers, please?"

The barman stared at them all for a moment before ducking down and pulling bottles out from behind the bar.

"Cheers," Fred said, passing the bottles out. "Cough up, everyone. I haven't got enough gold for all of these.…"

Everyone passed over a couple Sickles to pay for their butterbeers.

Meanwhile, Harry turned back to Lucy and Hermione. "What have you been telling people?" he asked. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," Hermione replied. Harry glared at her, and she quickly continued, "You don't have to do anything yet. One of us will speak to them first."

"Hi, Harry," Neville said, sitting down in front of them.

Everyone else took seats, as well, and soon they were all gathered around the table. They all looked at Harry, but Hermione cleared her throat.

"Er," she began, sounding nervous. "Well—er—hi." She glanced at Lucy, who smiled.

"Well, you know why we're here," Lucy took over for Hermione. "Hermione and I had this idea that we needed to take matters into our own hands when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "because, you know, nobody can call that rubbish Umbridge is doing with us as defense."

"Hear, hear," Anthony Goldstein said, holding his butterbeer up, and others murmured their agreement, as well.

"By taking matters into our own hands," Lucy continued, "we mean learning how to defend ourselves properly. You know, not just the theory, but the actual spells."

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., too, though, I bet?" Michael Corner asked.

"Of course we do," Hermione said, "but we want more than that. We want to be properly trained in defense because… because…" She had to take a breath before finishing, "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

Many of the students reacted to the name, but they all gazed at Harry expectantly.

"Well, that's the plan, anyway," Lucy said, shrugging. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to—"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" the Hufflepuff boy who Lucy didn't know interrupted.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "Excuse me—I was talking," she said coldly. "Besides, Dumbledore believes he's back."

"You mean, Dumbledore believes _him_," the Hufflepuff said, pointing at Harry.

"Who are _you_?" Ron spoke up.

"Zacharias Smith," the boy replied, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes _him_ say You-Know-Who's back."

"That's not what this meeting's about, you know," Lucy said, fighting to keep her voice even.

"It's okay, Lucy," Harry said suddenly. He glanced around at them all before looking Zacharias in the eye. "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back? I saw him. Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me. I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts," Zacharias said. "He didn't give us the details. He didn't tell us _exactly_ how Diggory got murdered. I think we'd all like to know—"

"_Shut_ _the fuck up_," Lucy cut in severely.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone, I can't help you," Harry said, and Lucy could hear the anger in his tone. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out." Harry finally tore his eyes away from the Hufflepuff to look at Lucy and Hermione.

There was silence, but nobody moved from their chairs.

"So," Hermione began again, sounding anxious again. "So… like we were saying—if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to—"

"Is it true that you can produce a Patronus?" Susan Bones suddenly asked Harry.

"Yeah," Harry replied, sounding surprised.

"A corporeal Patronus?" Susan asked.

Harry looked at her curiously. "Er—you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he questioned.

Susan smiled. "She's my auntie," she replied. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So—is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"Blimey, Harry!" Lee Jordan exclaimed. "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred said. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," Harry said quietly, but a few people laughed.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot asked. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year.…"

"Er—yeah, I did, yeah," Harry said.

Justin Finch-Fletchley let out a low whistle, and Lavender whispered, "Wow."

"And in our first year, he saved that Philological Stone," Neville said.

"Philosopher's," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," Neville said.

"That's not to mention all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year," Cho piped up. "Getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things.…"

Lucy glanced at Harry, who seemed like he was trying to not look too pleased with himself.

"Look," he said as the crowd quieted again, "I… I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff—"

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," Michael commented. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying."

Harry said, "Yeah, well—"

"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," Susan added.

"No," Harry said. "No, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is—"

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" Zacharias asked.

"Here's an idea," Ron snapped. "Why don't you shut your damn mouth?"

Zacharias flushed slightly. "Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," he said.

"That's _not_ what he's saying," Lucy growled.

"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" George asked, pulling out a metal pole from inside one of his Zonko's bags.

"Or any part of your body, really," Fred added. "We're not fussy where we stick this." Lucy snorted, and Fred winked at her.

"Yes, well," Hermione cut in, "moving on—the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?" Nobody protested, and Hermione looked much happier. "Right," she began. "Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week—"

"Hang on," Angelina said, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."

"No, nor with ours," Cho said.

"Nor ours," Zacharias echoed.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione said, "but you know, this is rather important. We're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters—"

"Well said!" Ernie said. "Personally, I think this is really important—possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!" He paused to see if anyone was going to say anything, but when nobody did, he continued, "I, personally, am at a loss as to why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells—"

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Lucy informed them, "is that she's got some wild idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd use us to fight against the Ministry."

"Well, that makes sense," Luna said. "After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."

"What?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.

"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," Luna explained.

"No, he hasn't," Hermione sighed.

"Yes, he has," Luna insisted.

"What are heliopaths?" Neville asked, looking confused.

"They're spirits of fire," Luna answered. "Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground, burning everything in front of—"

"They don't exist, Neville," Hermione said firmly.

"Oh, yes, they do!" Luna exclaimed, looking upset.

"I'm sorry, but where's the _proof_ of that?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts," Luna replied hotly. "Just because you're so narrow-minded that you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you—"

"_Hem, hem_."

Everyone jumped, but when they realized that it had been Ginny imitating Umbridge, they laughed.

"Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and get defense lessons?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Yes, we were. You're right.…"

"Well, once a week sounds cool," Lee said.

Angelina began, "As long as—"

"Yeah, yeah, we know about the Quidditch," Lucy said, shaking her head. "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet.…"

There was silence as the group pondered on where they could meet.

"Library?" Katie Bell spoke up after a few minutes.

"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library," Harry said.

"Maybe an unused classroom?" Dean suggested.

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "McGonagall might let us have hers. She did when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard Tournament.…"

"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," Hermione said. "We'll send a message 'round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting." Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill. "I—I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. I also think—" She paused to take a breath. "—that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So, if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge—or anybody else—what we're up to."

Fred and George were the first to eagerly sign their names.

"Er," Zacharias said, looking wary when the parchment reached him. "Well… I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."

Many of the others were looking uncertain, as well, including Ernie.

"I—well, we are _prefects_," Ernie said when Hermione gave him a look. "If this list was found—well, I mean to say—you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out—"

"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Lucy pointed out flatly.

"I—yes," Ernie said, flustered. "Yes, I do believe that. It's just—"

"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave this list lying around?" Hermione asked.

"No. No, of course not," Ernie said. He took a breath and said, "I—yes, of course I'll sign it."

After him, everyone else signed—even Zacharias. Hermione took the parchment and slid it back inside her bag.

"Well, time's ticking on," Fred spoke up after a moment. "George, Lee, and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase. We'll be seeing you all later."

The rest of the students started to leave, as well, until it was just Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left. Jeremy and his friends were the last ones to go, after Jeremy kissed Lucy and promised to meet her the next day in the library for their study date.

"Well, I think that went quite well," Hermione said cheerfully as the four of them left the Hog's Head.

"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," Ron said bluntly.

"I don't like him much, either," Lucy agreed.

"He overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table, and he seemed really interested in coming. What could I say?" Hermione said defensively. "Honestly, the more people, the better, really—I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny—"

Ron choked on the last of his butterbeer, dribbling it down his shirt. "He's WHAT?" he asked, clearly incensed at the idea that someone was dating his sister. "She's going out with—my sister's going—what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"

"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think," Hermione explained. "They're obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on—"

"When did this—when did she—?" Ron sputtered.

"They met at the Yule Ball, and they got together at the end of last year," Lucy supplied.

They had reached High Street. Hermione stopped outside one of the shops and gazed at the quills in the front window. "Hmm.… I could do with a new quill," she murmured. She led the other three into the shop.

"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron asked.

"The dark one," Lucy replied.

"I didn't like him," Ron stated.

"Big surprise," Lucy scoffed.

"I thought Ginny fancied Harry!" Ron insisted as the other three followed Hermione around the shop.

"Ginny _used_ to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago," Lucy replied, although she was sure that Ginny hadn't completely given up on him. "Not that she doesn't _like_ you, of course."

Harry shrugged, not seeming at all upset that Ginny no longer had a crush on him. "So, that's why she talks now?" he asked. "She never used to talk in front of me."

"Exactly," Lucy said, nodding.

"Yes, I think I'll have this one…" Hermione said, picking up one of the quills. She went to the front of the shop and paid for it, the other three still trailing along after her.

Ron continued to grumble under his breath.

"Ron, this is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's dating Michael," Lucy said impatiently. "She knew you'd take it badly."

"What d'you mean?" Ron seethed. "Who's taking anything badly?"

Lucy exchanged a glance with Hermione, who then turned to Harry.

"Talking about Michael and Ginny—what about Cho and you?" Hermione asked.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, his cheeks glowing red.

"Well, she just couldn't keep her eyes off you, could she?" Hermione replied slyly.

Harry looked away, and Hermione and Lucy grinned at the back of his head.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: It was really important to me to include some Slytherins in the D.A. I know that's not how it is in the books, but I can't stand the way that it basically implied everyone in Slytherin was evil/just like Malfoy and his friends. So in my alternate world, there are some Slytherins who are willing to participate in the D.A. (Yes, I was sorted into Slytherin the first time around on Pottermore; how could you tell?)**_


	14. 14: Sirius Risks Too Much

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 14 – Sirius Risks Too Much**

The rest of the weekend past quickly. On Sunday, rather than going to the library, Lucy and Jeremy joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione outside to enjoy the sunshine. Harry and Ron spent the day doing homework, while Hermione knitted some more clothing for the house-elves.

Lucy and Jeremy laid on the lawn together a few feet away from the others, soaking up the sunshine. Lucy cuddled up into Jeremy's side, his arm around her shoulders.

"So much for getting homework done," Lucy giggled.

"Yeah, well, this is more enjoyable," Jeremy replied. He gently took her chin in his hand and pulled her face to his so that he could kiss her.

**~LJ:NK~**

Since Lucy had had such a relaxing Sunday, when she woke up on Monday, she felt cheerful. She and Hermione got dressed and opened their dormitory door to go downstairs when they noticed that the stairs had turned into a slide.

"I wonder which boy tried to get up the stairs," Lucy commented.

Hermione shrugged and then slid down on the slide. Lucy followed her.

"It's not fair!" they heard Ron's voice as they neared the bottom of the slide. "Hermione and Lucy are allowed in our dormitory. How come we're not allowed—?"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," Hermione explained as she got off the floor.

Lucy landed behind her, and she also got to her feet.

"It says in _Hogwarts, A History_ that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls," Hermione went on. "Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you—look at this!" Ron exclaimed. He took hold of the girls' wrists and pulled them over to the notice board, where a new sign had been hung up.

_By Order Of  
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

_All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.  
An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.  
Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).  
No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.  
Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Twenty-four._

_Signed:_

_Dolores Jane Umbridge_

_High Inquisitor_

Lucy's jaw dropped open as she read it. When she was finished, she looked at Harry and Ron in horror.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said.

"They can't have done," Hermione replied, her expression hard.

"You're so naïve," Ron accused. "You think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy—"

"No, they can't have done, because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," Hermione replied. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are. They would really regret it."

"Wow," Lucy breathed.

"What'll happen to them?" Ron asked.

"Well, put it this way," Hermione answered. "It'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think.… I wonder whether this has been put up in all the houses."

"I'm sure it has," Lucy said.

**~LJ:NK~**

The four of them headed down to the Great Hall, where it was made obvious that everyone had seen the new decree. As soon as Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had sat down, Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny swooped down on them.

"Did you see it?" Dean asked.

"D'you reckon she knows?" Fred asked.

"What are we going to do?" Neville asked.

Everyone looked at Harry, who checked to be sure there were no professors nearby. "We're going to do it anyway, of course," he said in a low voice.

"Knew you'd say that," George said, clapping Harry on the arm.

"The prefects, as well?" Fred asked, looking at Hermione and Ron.

"Of course," Hermione answered.

"I would hope so. It was mostly Hermione's idea anyway," Lucy chuckled.

"Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbot," Ron reported, looking around, "_and_ those Ravenclaw blokes, and Smith.… No one looks very spotty."

Hermione looked up. "Never mind spots! The idiots can't come over here now; it'll look really suspicious!" she hissed. "Sit down!" she mouthed at them. "Later! We'll—talk—to—you—_later_!"

"I'll tell Michael," Ginny said, standing up. "The fool, honestly.…"

She went over to the Ravenclaw table. The Hufflepuffs also turned and went back to their own table, having gotten the gist of Hermione's message.

**~LJ:NK~**

After breakfast, as Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were leaving the Great Hall, a yell stopped them in their tracks.

"Harry! _Ron!_" It was Angelina, who was looking very upset.

"It's okay," Harry assured her when she was near enough. "We're still going to—"

"You realize she's including Quidditch in this?" Angelina shrieked. "We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!"

"_What_?" Harry asked.

"No way," Ron breathed.

"You read the sign," Angelina said. "It mentions teams, too! So, listen, Harry—I am saying this for the last time.… Please, _please_ don't lose your temper with Umbridge again, or she might not let us play anymore!"

"Okay, okay," Harry said. "Don't worry. I'll behave myself.…"

Angelina, looking on the verge of tears, nodded.

The four fifth-years left the Great Hall and crossed the entrance hall.

"Bet Umbridge is in History of Magic," Ron said. "She hasn't inspected Binns yet.… Bet you anything she's there.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

She wasn't. Professor Binns began the lecture, and the Gryffindors were sunk into their usual stupor.

Lucy gazed out the window, trying to think of a way they could continue their little defense group without getting caught by Umbridge, when an owl landed on the window's ledge outside. A moment later, Lucy realized that she recognized the bird. She tapped Hermione's arm and whispered, "Look. It's Hedwig."

Hermione immediately looked to the window. Hedwig was staring at Harry, but Harry hadn't noticed her. So, Hermione leaned over and poked Harry in the side.

"_What_?" Harry hissed.

Hermione pointed at the window, and Harry finally looked up. Then he glanced to the front of the room, where Professor Binns was still droning on about giants. When he was sure that the professor wasn't paying any attention, Harry slid out of his seat, crouched down, and side-stepped over to the window. He opened the window very slowly, and Hedwig immediately hopped onto his shoulder. Harry shut the window and went back to his seat.

Once seated, he pulled Hedwig into his lap. "She's hurt!" he whispered to his friends. "Look—there's something wrong with her wing—" He tried to touch Hedwig's wing, but she jumped.

"Professor Binns," Harry called suddenly, stopping the ghost professor mid-sentence, "I'm not feeling well."

"Not feeling well?" Professor Binns echoed, almost sounding confused.

"Not at all well," Harry replied. He stood up, holding Hedwig behind his back. "So, I think I'll need to go to the hospital wing."

"Yes," Professor Binns said. "Yes… yes, hospital wing.… Well, off you go, then, Perkins.…"

Harry turned and left the room.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy and Ron were both thoroughly distracted for the last few minutes of class, wanting to know what had happened to Hedwig, and when the bell finally rang, they shot up out of their seats. After grabbing Harry's things, Lucy, Ron, and Hermione went out into one of the courtyards.

"What do you think happened that injured Hedwig?" Ron asked as they came to a stop in one of the corners. "I mean, she's never been hurt before, has she? Do you think maybe another animal attacked her?"

"Maybe," Hermione said, "but… what if it wasn't an animal? What if Hedwig was intercepted by someone? Remember how Moody and the others kept telling us to be careful what we put in writing, in case it got intercepted?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that happened," Lucy said. "I bet you anything Umbridge has been reading people's mail if she can get her hands on it. The Ministry is so obsessed with trying to control the school these days.…"

A few minutes later, they saw Harry walking over to them, a bit of parchment in his hands.

"Is Hedwig okay?" Hermione asked immediately as Harry neared them, and Lucy handed over Harry's bag.

"Where did you take her?" Ron added.

"To Grubbly-Plank," Harry replied. "Then I met McGonagall.… Listen—Grubbly-Plank reckons something must have attacked her, and McGonagall asked me how far Hedwig had traveled. I told her London, and she knew right away what that meant. Then, after Grubbly-Plank had gone, McGonagall told me that all communications in and out of Hogwarts are possibly being watched." Lucy exchanged looks with Ron and Hermione, and Harry asked, "What?"

"Well, I was just saying… what if someone had tried to intercept Hedwig?" Hermione explained. "I mean, she's never been hurt on a flight before, has she?"

"Who's the letter from, anyway?" Ron asked.

"Snuffles," Harry replied, handing over the slip of parchment.

Ron took it, and Lucy read it over his shoulder.

_Today, same time, same place._

"_Same time, same place_?" Ron read. "Does he mean the fire in the common room?" He passed the note over to Hermione.

"Obviously," Lucy said. "I just hope nobody else has read this.…"

"It was still sealed and everything," Harry was quick to say. "And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn't know where we'd spoken to him before, would they?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "It wouldn't be exactly difficult to reseal the scroll by magic.… If anyone's watching the Floo Network—but I don't really see how we can warn him not to come without _that_ being intercepted, too!"

**~LJ:NK~**

A little while later, the four of them trooped down to the dungeon for Potions class. Jeremy joined them in the corridor outside the classroom, looking annoyed.

"What's up?" Lucy asked immediately.

"Oh, you know," Jeremy replied, "Malfoy is just up to his usual business."

The five of them reached the door to the classroom and saw Malfoy standing with his usual group of Slytherins.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway," he said loudly. "I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic. I mean, she knows my father really well. He's always popping in and out of the Ministry.… It'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it?"

"Don't rise," Hermione hissed to Ron and Harry. "It's what he wants—"

"I mean," Malfoy continued, his voice growing louder still, "if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance.… From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for _years.…_ As for Potter—my father says it's only a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St. Mungo's.… Apparently, they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic.…" Malfoy made a face, and his friends laughed meanly.

Suddenly, someone shot past Lucy, and she was surprised to see Neville charging towards Malfoy. "Neville, _no_!" she shouted.

Harry lunged forward and grabbed the back of Neville's robes. Everyone looked shocked at Neville's desperate attempt to reach Malfoy.

"Help me!" Harry exclaimed, hooking his arm around Neville's neck and pulling him backwards.

Ron jumped up immediately and grabbed one of Neville's arms. Lucy hurried around him and pushed Neville back, both her hands on his chest. The three of them managed to stop Neville's advance, and in the back of her mind, Lucy was amazed at how physically strong Neville was.

He grunted, "Not—funny—don't—Mungo's—show—him—"

"Neville, _stop_," Lucy said as he tried to break away from her, Harry, and Ron.

The door to the classroom opened, and Snape stepped out into the corridor. "Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Jones, Longbottom?" he asked. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

Harry let go, and Neville glared at him, panting.

"I had to stop you," Harry said. "Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart."

Neville grabbed his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and stomped away from them. Lucy exchanged looks with Hermione and Jeremy, who both look speechless.

"What in the name of Merlin's bollocks was _that_ about?" Ron asked in a low voice as they entered the classroom.

Lucy and Jeremy went over to their usual table, listening to the class whispering around them. Snape slammed the door shut, and everyone became silent.

"You will notice that we have a guest with us today," Snape began, gesturing to a corner of the room, where Umbridge was sitting with her clipboard, surveying the class. "We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today," Snape went on. "You will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson. If correctly made, they should have matured well over the weekend—instructions on the board. Carry on."

**~LJ:NK~**

Nothing happened for a while. Umbridge sat in her corner, making notes on her clipboard. Lucy and Jeremy worked on their potions, their knees touching under the table every so often.

About half an hour into the lesson, Umbridge finally stood up and walked over to Snape. Snape did not turn to look at her.

"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," she said, "though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus." Snape slowly looked around at her, and she asked, "Now… how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"

Lucy stopped working on her potion, looking down at her textbook to make it seem as though she was looking up some information, so she could listen in.

"Fourteen years," Snape answered.

"And you applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Umbridge questioned.

"Yes," Snape replied.

"But you were unsuccessful?" Umbridge pressed.

"Obviously," Snape sneered.

"And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes," Snape confirmed, sounding as though he was clenching his teeth.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked.

"I suggest you ask him," Snape replied.

"Oh, I shall," Umbridge assured him, smiling.

"I suppose this is relevant," Snape stated flatly.

"Oh, yes," Umbridge replied. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'—er—backgrounds.…" With another sickening smile, she swept off to Pansy Parkinson's table to question her about the class.

Lucy hurriedly went back to work on her potion before Snape noticed that she hadn't been working.

Snape instead moved over to Harry's cauldron, his nose wrinkled at what was inside it. "No marks again, then, Potter," he said, waving his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry muttered darkly.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the class period passed without incident, and when the bell rang, everyone went off to lunch. Lucy said good-bye to Jeremy, and she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to the Great Hall together. They sat at the Gryffindor table in silence as they ate.

When they were finished, they went outside once again to get some fresh air.

"Maybe I'll skive off Divination," Harry said suddenly. "I'll pretend to be ill and do Snape's essay instead. Then I won't have to stay up half the night—"

"You can't skive off Divination," Hermione scolded.

"Hark who's talking," Ron said. "You _walked_ _out_ of Divination. You hate Trelawney!"

"I don't _hate_ her," Hermione argued. "I just think she's an absolutely appalling teacher and a real old fraud.… The thing is, Harry's already missed History of Magic, and I don't think he ought to miss anything else today!"

**~LJ:NK~**

When it was time for classes to begin again, the boys grudgingly went off to Divination, and Lucy and Hermione went to Arithmancy.

"This day just doesn't want to end," Lucy complained to Hermione when Arithmancy was over and they were walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts. "The weekend was so nice, and today has just ruined it."

Harry and Ron joined them outside of Umbridge's classroom.

"You and Umbridge have got something in common," Harry said to Hermione. "She obviously reckons Trelawney's an old fraud, too.… Looks like she put her on probation."

They entered the classroom and sat down in their usual seats.

Umbridge joined them a few minutes later, sweeping up to the front of the room. "Good afternoon, class," she said, looking smug.

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class replied.

"Wands away, please…" Umbridge said, but nobody had bothered to take their wands out. "Please turn to page thirty-four of _Defensive Magical Theory_ and read the third chapter, entitled _The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack_. There will be—"

"—no need to talk," Lucy, Hermione, Harry, and Ron muttered under their breaths.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner that night, the four Gryffindors went up to the common room, where they met a very glum-looking Angelina.

"No Quidditch practice," she informed Harry and Ron.

"I kept my temper!" Harry said. "I didn't say anything to her, Angelina! I swear, I—"

"I know, I know," Angelina said, holding her hand up to stop Harry. "She just said she needed a bit of time to consider."

"Consider what?" Ron asked, upset. "She's given the Slytherins permission. Why not us?"

Angelina shrugged and went off to join her friends.

"Well, look on the bright side," Hermione said. "At least now you'll have time to do Snape's essay!"

"That's a bright side, is it?" Harry asked angrily. "No Quidditch practice and extra Potions?"

"Oh, calm down, drama queen," Lucy said. "I'm sure that she'll let you guys play Quidditch again. Someone will make her say yes."

The four of them found an empty table and sat down with their school things.

Not long after they had started working, Fred and George had gathered a crowd of students around to show off their Puking Pastilles, one of the candies in their Skiving Snackboxes. The twins had recently perfected these candies, and they were showing off to the crowd how they worked. Fred stood in front of a bucket and would eat the orange half of the candy, causing him to vomit immediately. Then he would eat the purple half, which stopped the steady flow of puke. George was collecting advanced orders from those who were interested, and Lee Jordan was Vanishing the vomit from Fred's bucket.

Hermione seemed very put-out by the twins' show.

"Just go and stop them, then!" Harry finally burst out, crossing something out on his essay again.

"I can't," Hermione replied. "They're not _technically_ doing anything wrong. They're quite within their rights to eat the foul things themselves, and I can't find a rule that says the other idiots aren't entitled to buy them. Not unless they're proven to be dangerous in some way, and it doesn't look as though they are.…"

George took a turn with a Puking Pastille, projectile-vomiting into the bucket before eating the purple candy. He stood up gleefully as the crowd applauded.

"You know, I don't get why Fred and George only got three O.W.L.s each," Lucy commented. "They really know their stuff—"

"Oh, they only know flashy stuff that's no real use to anyone," Hermione said dismissively.

"_No_ _real_ _use_?" Ron repeated. "Hermione, they've got about _twenty_-_six_ _Galleons_ already.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

However, because of the Weasley twins' entertainment, it was a long time before the Gryffindor common room had emptied. Fred, George, and Lee were the last to leave, and it was well after midnight. Fred shook his box of Galleons as they disappeared up the boys' stairs, and Hermione scowled after him.

Lucy and Ron were sitting in front of the fire, watching for Sirius, when they heard Harry slamming his Potions book shut.

Ron, who had almost fallen asleep, jerked upright. "Sirius!" he croaked.

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione all jumped up and crammed next to each other in front of the fireplace.

"Hi," Sirius said, smiling at them.

"Hi," the four of them replied.

Crookshanks came up to them, trying to get close to Sirius.

"How're things?" Sirius asked as Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and pulled him away from the fire.

"Not that good," Harry answered. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams—"

"—or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" Sirius added slyly.

The others paused in surprise.

"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," Sirius told them, smirking. "The Hog's Head, I ask you—"

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" Hermione insisted. "That's always packed with people—"

"—which means you'd have been harder to overhear," Sirius finished for her. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Lucy asked, frowning.

"Mundungus, of course," Sirius answered. The four Gryffindors looked at him curiously, and he laughed before explaining, "He was the witch under the veil."

"That was Mundungus?" Harry asked. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" Sirius replied. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still be followed?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah, you are," Sirius said. "Just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group." There was a distinct look of pride on his face.

"Technically, it wasn't illegal yet," Lucy pointed out, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" Ron asked. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," Sirius explained, "and that barman's got a good memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately.… Anyway… first of all, Ron—I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh, yeah?" Ron asked.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group," Sirius stated. "She says you'll be expelled for sure, and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later, and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now.

"She also advises Harry, Lucy, and Hermione not to proceed with the group," Sirius continued, looking at the other three, "though she accepts that she has no authority over any of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted, you'd all have been in real trouble—and she can't say it for herself, because she's on duty tonight."

"On duty doing what?" Ron questioned.

"Never you mind," Sirius answered loftily. "Just stuff for the Order. So, it's fallen to me to be the messenger. Make sure you tell her I passed it on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defense group?" Ron asked after a moment, looking downcast.

"Me? Certainly not!" Sirius exclaimed. "I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" Harry asked.

"Of course I do!" Sirius replied. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But—last term, all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks," Harry said indignantly.

"Last year, all evidence was that someone _inside_ Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" Sirius said. "This year, we _know_ that there's someone _outside_ Hogwarts who'd like to kill us _all_, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a _very_ good idea!"

"But what if we _do_ get expelled?" Hermione spoke up.

"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" Harry said.

"I know it was.… I just wondered what Sirius thought," Hermione said.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," Sirius said.

"Hear, hear," Ron and Harry agreed.

"So, how are you organizing this group?" Sirius asked. "Where are you meeting?"

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," Harry said. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go—"

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius asked.

"Hey, that's an idea!" Ron said enthusiastically.

Hermione made a noise of disagreement. "Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school," she explained. "All of you could transform into animals, and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. There are more than thirty of us, though, and none of us is an Animagus. We wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee—"

"Fair point," Sirius said, frowning in thought. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere.… There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor. You might have enough space to practice jinxes in there—"

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," Harry said. "Caved in or something."

"Oh…" Sirius said. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to—" He stopped abruptly, looking anxious.

"Sirius?" Harry asked.

Suddenly, Sirius had vanished.

"Sirius!" Lucy exclaimed, but he didn't reappear.

The four Gryffindors stared into the flames.

Harry started, "Why did he—?"

Hermione cut Harry off as she jumped up, staring at the fire. The other three turned to see a hand reaching out of the flames, groping around as thought trying to grab something.

Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated to the other side of the room, none of them daring to make a sound. They parted ways at the stairs, and Lucy followed Hermione up to the girls' dormitory.

"That was far too close," Lucy gasped, the image of Umbridge's hand in the fire stuck in her mind.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I love Lucy's line of "Technically, it wasn't illegal yet." LOL**_


	15. 15: The DA's First Meeting

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 15 – The D.A.'s First Meeting**

The next day in Charms class, Lucy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron huddled together to talk about Umbridge nearly catching Sirius in the fire. They were supposed to be practicing the Silencing Charm, which Lucy had been able to do since she was eleven. The room was full of frogs and ravens, croaking and cawing. This, along with the crashing of rain against the windows, was providing a nice cover for the fifth-years' conversation.

"Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry," Hermione stated. "There's no other explanation."

"You think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?" Harry asked, looking upset.

"I'm almost certain of it," Hermione replied. "Watch your frog; it's escaping."

Harry turned his wand to the frog and muttered, "_Accio!_" The animal flew back into his hand.

"I've been suspicious ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs, because it seemed such a stupid lie," Hermione explained quietly. "I mean, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear you _weren't_ ordering them. You wouldn't have been in trouble at all—it's a bit of a feeble joke, isn't it?

"And then I thought, what if somebody just wanted an excuse to read your mail? Well, then, it would be a perfect way for Umbridge to manage it—tip off Filch, let him do the dirty work and confiscate the letter, and then either find a way of stealing it from him or else demand to see it—I don't think Filch would object. When's he ever stuck up for a student's rights? Harry, you're squashing your frog."

Lucy reached over and pulled the poor frog out of Harry's grasp.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It was a very, _very_ close call last night," Lucy said. "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close it was. _Silencio_!" She pointed her wand at the raven in front of her and Silenced it for the third time.

"If she'd caught Snuffles…" Hermione whispered, trailing off.

"He'd probably be back in Azkaban this morning," Harry finished. He waved his wand carelessly at his frog, and it began to inflate and emit a high-pitched whining noise.

"_Silencio_!" Hermione said quickly, pointing her wand at Harry's frog, and it deflated silently. Hermione continued, "Well, he mustn't do it again—that's all. I just don't know how we're going to let him know. We can't send him an owl."

"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," Ron commented. "He's not stupid. He knows she nearly got him. _Silencio_!" The raven in front of him continued to caw. "_Silencio! SILENCIO!_" Instead of becoming silent, the raven got louder.

"It's the way you're moving your wand," Hermione instructed him. "You don't want to wave it. It's more of a sharp _jab_."

"Ravens are harder than frogs," Ron grumbled.

"Says who?" Lucy asked, glancing at her silent raven.

"Let's swap," Hermione said, pushing her frog towards him and grabbing his raven. "_Silencio!_" She pointed her wand at the raven, and it immediately became silent.

"Very good, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick said, surprising them. "Now, let me see you try, Mr. Weasley!"

"Wha—? Oh—oh, right," Ron said. "Er—_Silencio!_" He accidentally poked his frog in the eye with his wand, and the frog hopped off the table.

**~LJ:NK~**

Later, during break, Angelina caught up to Harry and Ron. "I've got permission!" she exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"

"_Excellent_!" Harry and Ron said.

"Yeah," Angelina said. "I went to McGonagall, and I _think_ she might have appealed to Dumbledore—anyway, Umbridge had to give in. Ha! So, I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right? We've got a _lot_ of time to make up. You realize we're only three weeks away from our first match?"

"See?" Lucy said as Angelina moved away again. "I told you someone would make Umbridge let you play."

Ron was peering out a window at the gusting rain outside. "Hope this clears up…" he said. Then he looked at Hermione and asked, "What's up with you, Hermione?"

Hermione was also looking out the window, but her eyes were unfocused. She had a look of concentration on her face. "Just thinking…" she replied slowly.

"About Siri—Snuffles?" Harry corrected.

"No… not exactly…" Hermione answered. "More… wondering—I suppose we're doing the right thing—I think—aren't we?"

Lucy, Harry, and Ron exchanged glances.

"Well, that clears that up," Ron said sarcastically. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

Lucy, for once, agreed with Ron.

"I was just wondering," Hermione said, "whether we're doing the right thing, starting this Defense Against the Dark Arts group."

"What!?" Lucy, Harry, and Ron cried.

"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" Ron added exasperatedly.

"I know," Hermione said, "but after talking to Snuffles—"

"He's all for it!" Harry said.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all.…"

"Hermione, come _on_," Lucy said. "You can't seriously be rethinking this plan just because Snuffles is on board."

There was a break in the conversation as Peeves floated by above them. They lifted their bags over their heads in case he was going to drop something on them. The poltergeist moved on, and the four fifth-years put their bags back down.

"Let's get this straight," Harry said, continuing their conversation. "Sirius—"

"_Snuffles_," Lucy hissed.

"—Snuffles agrees with us," Harry corrected himself, giving his sister a look, "so you don't think we should do it anymore?"

"Do you honestly trust his judgment?" Hermione asked, not looking at any of them.

"Yes, I do!" Harry exclaimed. "He's always given us great advice!"

They were interrupted again when Peeves suddenly swooped down and spat an ink pellet at Katie Bell, who was sitting with her friends nearby. Katie jumped up and started to throw things at the poltergeist. Lucy sniggered before turning back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"You don't think he's become… sort of… reckless… since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked. "You don't think he's… kind of… living through us?"

"What d'you mean, _living through us_?" Harry asked, frowning deeply.

"I mean—well, I think he'd _love_ to be forming secret defense societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry…" Hermione replied. "I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is… so I think he's keen to kind of… egg us on."

Ron spoke up, "Sirius—"

"_Snuffles_!" Lucy breathed.

Ron rolled his eyes at her. "—Snuffles is right," he went on. "You _do_ sound just like my mother."

"She's got a point, though," Lucy said. "Remember when you first came to Grimmauld Place, Harry? Snuffles told you that he would have _loved_ to have had a struggle to the death against a dementor after the summer he'd been having.…"

The bell rang then, and Peeves upturned an entire ink bottle over Katie's head.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy and Hermione decided to go to bed early that night, so they didn't see Ron or Harry when they were finished with Quidditch practice. The next morning at breakfast, however, Harry was quick to tell them about his encounter with Dobby.

"Dobby came to visit you last night?" Lucy asked, smiling.

"Sort of," Harry replied. "He says that none of the other house-elves will clean our common room anymore, because of Hermione's hats and socks—"

"See what you did, Hermione?" Ron butted in. "Now Dobby's working that much harder to clean our common room by himself!"

"Stop it," Lucy intervened immediately before Hermione could retort.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Ron but staying quiet.

"_Listen_," Harry hissed, annoyed that he kept getting interrupted. "Dobby asked if there was anything he could do to help me, and I told him we were looking for a place where thirty-some people could practice Defense Against the Dark Arts without being found out. He told me about this room—it's called the Room of Requirement. It's a room here in the castle that only appears if someone really needs it. Like if you needed to go to the toilet, it would become a bathroom. Dobby also said that very few people know about the room, because most people just stumble across it accidentally and then can never find it again. It sounds brilliant, doesn't it?"

"So, theoretically, it could become a large classroom for us?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered, looking exciting. "Dobby told me exactly where and how to find it. I figured that maybe we could have our first meeting tonight!"

"Tonight?" Hermione repeated. "Shouldn't we at least figure out if this room exists before trying to get everyone together?"

"We need to stop wasting time," Harry responded. "If it's still raining, there won't be any Quidditch practice tonight. It's the perfect opportunity. We'll go early to make sure we can get into the room, and if something goes wrong, we'll just send people back to their common rooms."

"So, when are we going to meet tonight?" Lucy asked. "We need to pick a time to tell everyone else."

"Let's say eight o'clock," Harry said. "Agreed? Once we find out if Angelina is going to cancel practice or not, we can tell everyone else."

The other three agreed.

**~LJ:NK~**

Their first class of the day was Herbology, and by the time they reached the greenhouses, they were soaking wet. The rain was still pounding away all throughout the lesson, and when class ended, they ran back up to the castle for lunch.

In the Great Hall, Angelina tracked Harry and Ron down to inform them that she'd cancelled practice.

"Good," Harry said, his voice low, "because we've found somewhere to have our first defense meeting. Tonight, at eight o'clock, on the seventh floor, opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie and Alicia?"

"Of course," Angelina said before setting off again.

Hermione gave Harry a calculating look as he returned to his lunch.

"What?" he asked after a moment.

"Well—it's just that Dobby's plans aren't always that safe," Hermione commented. "Don't you remember when he lost you all the bones in your arm?"

"This room isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's," Harry insisted. "Dumbledore knows about it, too. He mentioned it to me at the Yule Ball."

"Dumbledore told you about it?" Lucy repeated.

"Just in passing," Harry replied.

"Oh, well, that's all right, then," Hermione said.

**~LJ:NK~**

For the rest of the afternoon, the four of them tracked down those who had been in the Hog's Head to let them know of the first meeting.

Lucy finally caught up to Jeremy in the entrance hall at dinner time. "Jeremy!" she called, spotting him in a crowd that was entering the Great Hall.

Jeremy turned and smiled when he saw that it was her. He stepped off to the side as Lucy caught up to him. "Hi," he said.

Lucy reached him, and he leaned down and kissed her. "Our first meeting is tonight," Lucy informed him. "Eight o'clock. The room is on the seventh floor across from that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being beaten up by some trolls."

"So you finally found a place to practice," Jeremy said, nodding. "That's good. I'll let Daphne, Jake, and Mary know."

Lucy smiled. "Great," she said. "I'll see you tonight, then?"

"Definitely," Jeremy said.

He kissed her again, and the two of them went into the Great Hall. They parted for their respective tables.

"I just told Jeremy about the meeting tonight," Lucy updated Harry, Ron, and Hermione as she sat down with them. "He's going to tell Daphne, Mary, and Jake."

"I think that's everyone, then," Hermione said. "Now we'll just have to see if this Room of Requirement is a real place."

**~LJ:NK~**

At seven-thirty that evening, Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to check out the Room of Requirement. Harry had with him the Marauder's Map, a map of Hogwarts that showed where everyone was in the castle. They trooped up to the seventh floor, pausing when they reached it.

"Hold it," Harry said, opening the map, which was blank for the moment. He took out his wand and tapped the parchment, saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map appeared on the parchment, and Lucy could see small dots moving around on it.

"Filch is on the second floor," Harry reported, examining the map, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."

"And Umbridge?" Hermione asked.

"In her office," Harry replied. "Okay, let's go."

They moved along the corridor until they found the blank wall that Dobby had told Harry about.

"Okay," Harry whispered. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."

The four of them did as Dobby had directed, concentrating hard on a classroom where they could practice defensive spells.

"Harry," Hermione gasped after they had walked past the wall three times, and Lucy spun around to see that a door had appeared.

Nobody moved for a moment; then Harry grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. "C'mon," he said, beckoning the others to follow him.

They entered the room and stared around in amazement. Along the walls were bookcases that were packed full. There were cushions all over the floor, and at one end of the room was a shelf covered in strange instruments.

"These will be good when we're practicing Stunning," Ron said, looking at the cushions.

"Just look at these books!" Hermione gushed, examining one of the shelves. "_A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions—The Dark Arts Outsmarted—Self-Defensive Spellwork.… _Wow.…" She turned to look at Lucy and Harry, her eyes shining with excitement. "Harry, this is wonderful! There's everything we need here!" She plucked a book from one of the shelves and plopped into a cushion.

"I wonder if the room does food," Lucy mused. She closed her eyes and wished for a chocolate cake, but after a moment, nothing had appeared. "Hm. I guess it doesn't do food. We'll have to get the twins to bring snacks." She shared a laugh with Ron.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Lucy and Harry turned to see Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean enter the room.

"Whoa," Dean breathed. "What is this place?

Before Harry could explain, the door opened again, and another wave of people entered.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Lucy turned around and saw Jeremy sauntering over to her. Daphne, Jake, and Mary were following him.

"Glad you could make it," Lucy said, grinning. "Hi, Daphne, Jake, Mary. You all ready for this?"

"Is Harry?" Daphne asked, glancing over at the boy.

"I think so," Lucy replied. "We'll soon find out, at any rate. Take a seat." She motioned to the cushions, where the other students were gathering.

Daphne, Jake, and Mary joined them, but Jeremy stayed back for a moment. "Hi," he said, pulling Lucy in close for a hug.

"Hi there," Lucy murmured back.

"Lucy!"

Lucy stepped away from Jeremy and looked around to see Colin Creevey bounding up to her with his younger brother Dennis in tow. Dennis was a second-year, and so he hadn't been able to meet with them at the Hog's Head.

"Hi, Colin," Lucy said.

"I know Dennis is a bit young, but he really wanted to come with me to the meeting tonight," Colin said. "Is that all right?"

"Of course, Col," Lucy replied. She turned to Jeremy and said, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"All right," Jeremy said, briefly kissing her forehead. Then he went over to join his friends.

Lucy returned her attention to the Creevey brothers. "Come on, Dennis," she said. "We just need you to write your name on the sign-up sheet."

She led Dennis over to Hermione, explained the situation, and Hermione produced the list of names. Dennis signed his name at the bottom, and then he and his brother sat down on the cushions with everyone else.

**~LJ:NK~**

By eight o'clock, everyone had arrived. Once they were all sitting on the floor, Harry went to the door and locked it.

"Well," Harry began, standing in front of the group. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've—er—obviously found it okay—"

"It's fantastic!" Cho exclaimed, and everyone else nodded their agreement.

"It's bizarre," Fred said. "We once hid from Filch in here. Remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then—"

"Hey, Harry—what's this stuff?" Dean asked, pointing to the instruments at the back of the room.

"Dark Detectors," Harry answered, walking over to them. "Basically, they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much. They can be fooled." He turned back to the group and continued, "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first—and—er—What, Hermione?" he asked.

Lucy looked around at Hermione, who had her hand in the air.

"I think we ought to elect a leader," she stated.

"Harry's leader," Cho insisted immediately.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," Hermione said. "It makes it formal, and it gives him authority. So—everyone, who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?"

Everyone put their hands in the air, even Zacharias Smith.

"Er—right, thanks," Harry said, looking a bit embarrassed, "and—_what_, Hermione?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, grinning at her friend.

"I also think we ought to have a name," Hermione answered cheerfully. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

Some people glanced at each other, looking unconvinced.

"I like it," Lucy supplied. "I mean, if we need to talk about this group outside of meetings, then we should have a name."

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asked.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" Fred suggested, smirking.

"I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to," Hermione clarified, "so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" Cho suggested. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about."

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," Ginny agreed. "Only let's make it stand for _Dumbledore's Army_, because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" She and Lucy exchanged a high-five.

"All in favor of the D.A.?" Hermione asked, counting the hands that went up. "That's a majority—motion passed!" She took the parchment with all their names on it and wrote _Dumbledore's Army_ at the top of it. Then she pinned it to the wall.

"Right," Harry said, "shall we get practicing, then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_—you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic, but I've found it really useful—"

"Oh, _please_," Zacharias interrupted. "I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," Harry replied. "It saved my life last June." Everyone was quiet as Harry added to Zacharias, "But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave."

Nobody moved from their cushions.

"You're the boss, Harry," Lucy spoke up.

"Okay," Harry said, giving Lucy a grateful look, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

Everyone began to pair off. Lucy stood at the front of the room with Hermione and Ron, watching over the other students. Harry was moving between them, making sure that everyone had a partner.

"Hey, Lucy," Jeremy said, striding forward. "Would you like to be my partner?"

"Certainly," Lucy answered, giving him a curtsey.

They stepped away from Hermione and Ron, and then they backed away from each other.

"Right—on the count of three, then," Harry said, standing opposite from Neville. "One, two, three—"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Lucy shouted, pointing her wand at Jeremy, who had his wand pointed at her.

Lucy's spell hit Jeremy, forcing him off his feet and sending his wand flying through the air. She felt his spell shoot past her ear before she caught his wand. "That was payback for three years ago," she informed him, smiling gleefully.

Jeremy smirked at her and got to his feet. Lucy tossed his wand back, and they stood at the ready again before sending Disarming Charms at each other once more.

Lucy got him again, catching his wand in her hand. On the third time, though, Jeremy's spell got her first, and she was falling over onto a cushion. She let out a laugh.

"Well, you two obviously have the hang of this," Harry said, who was walking around to make sure everyone was doing the spell correctly, and Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

Harry moved on to the next pair, and Jeremy walked over to Lucy. He extended his hand and helped her to her feet. They looked around at the others, and Lucy was surprised to see that a lot of people were having trouble with the spell.

A few minutes later, Harry was blowing on a whistle that Lucy assumed the room had provided for him "That wasn't bad," Harry said when everyone had quieted, "but there's definite room for improvement. Let's try again—"

Everyone started practicing again, and Lucy and Jeremy moved over to stand with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

"This is going rather well, isn't it?" Hermione asked as Ron and Neville faced off against each other.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucy replied. "I'm a bit surprised at the amount of people who are having problems casting the spell correctly, though. Especially Zacharias—did you see him completely miss Mary three times? So much for this being such a basic spell.…"

Jeremy laughed, and Hermione tried to repress a smile.

"Come on, you three," Harry said, coming over to them. "You're supposed to be practicing. Lucy and Hermione, let's see you two against each other. Come on.…"

Lucy rolled her eyes, and she and Hermione stepped back from each other. The others gave them ample space.

"_Expelliarmus!_" they both shouted.

Lucy was surprised when Hermione stumbled backwards, her wand shooting out of her hand. Lucy caught it and then tossed it back to Hermione.

"All right, I definitely know that Lucy can cast a Disarming Charm," Harry said, also clearly surprised. "C'mon, Lucy—you and me." He went over to where Hermione was standing and squared off.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Lucy and Harry shouted.

Lucy felt Harry's spell hit her, her wand flying through the air as she took a few steps back. When she looked up at Harry, however, she saw that his wand was also out of his hand.

"Nice," Lucy said, grinning at Harry, who smiled back.

"Keep practicing, the rest of you," he said, taking his wand from Neville, who had picked it up.

**~LJ:NK~**

It was a little while later when Hermione looked at her watch and gasped. "Hey, Harry," she called across the room, "have you checked the time?"

Some of the others also checked their watches. Lucy glanced at Jeremy's wrist, since she didn't have a watch for herself, and saw that it was already after nine o'clock. That meant the students in the fifth year and younger were breaking curfew.

Harry blew his whistle, and everyone stopped casting spells. "Well, that was pretty good," Harry said when it was quiet, "but we've overrun. We'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" Dean cried, and quite a few people nodded their agreement.

"The Quidditch season's started," Angelina spoke up. "We need team practices, too!"

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," Harry said, "and we can decide on additional meetings then.… Come on; we'd better get going.…" He took out the Marauder's Map and checked to see if anyone was on the seventh floor.

The members of the D.A. left in groups, with Harry watching the map to make sure they made it to their common rooms safely. Before Jeremy left with his friends, he quickly kissed Lucy good night.

Soon, only Lucy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron remained.

"That was really, really good, Harry," Hermione commented.

"Yeah, it was!" Ron agreed.

They left the room and then watched as the door disappeared into the blank wall.

"Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?" Ron asked as they turned away.

"Only once," Hermione replied stubbornly. "I got you loads more than you got me—"

"I did not only get you once," Ron protested. "I got you at least three times—"

Hermione retorted, "Well, if you're counting the one where you tripped over your own feet and knocked the wand out of my hand—"

"All right, that's enough," Lucy said, shaking her head.

Ron and Hermione continued to hiss at each other all the way back to the common room. Harry was quiet, watching the Marauder's Map with a shadow of a grin on his face. Lucy couldn't help but smile, glad that her brother finally seemed happy again.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I disliked in the book that Dennis Creevey was present in Hogsmeade. He's supposed to be a second-year, which means he wouldn't be allowed into Hogsmeade to attend the meeting.**_


	16. 16: The Horrible Quidditch Match

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 16 – The Horrible Quidditch Match**

Throughout the next two weeks, the D.A. continued to meet in secret. Not only did Lucy feel like she was becoming better at defense, she noticed that Harry had been happier than she'd seen him in a while.

She also found herself spending more time with Neville, whom she'd taken to helping at D.A. practices. In the four meetings that took place over those two weeks, Neville had improved so much that he'd been able to disarm Hermione.

They'd been having difficulties picking a consistent meeting time for their meetings, however.

"I mean, I have to try and find a time between three different Quidditch practices," Harry complained one night in the common room. "It's nearly impossible."

"Well, maybe having a sporadic meeting schedule is better," Lucy said. "If anyone was trying to track us, it'd be much harder for them to find us if we aren't meeting at the same time every week."

"I suppose you're right," Harry sighed. "Still, it's a lot of hassle, having to run around and find out everyone's schedule."

"Don't you worry, Harry," Hermione spoke up, lowering her Ancient Runes book. "I've got something that ought to help."

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of the next practice, Hermione unveiled her idea. She produced a basket of fake Galleons.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding up one. "On real Galleons, that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket, you'll be able to feel them. We'll each take one. Then, when Harry sets the date of the next meeting, he'll change the numbers on _his_ coin, and—because I've put a Protean Charm on them—they'll all change to mimic his."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well—I thought it was a good idea," Hermione mumbled. "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But—well, if you don't want to use them—"

"You can do a Protean Charm?" Terry Boot spoke up.

"Yes," Hermione answered.

"But that's—that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," Terry said.

"Oh," Hermione said. "Oh—well—yes, I suppose it is.…"

Lucy exchanged a knowing look with Jeremy.

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw, with brains like yours?" Terry asked.

"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw," Hermione explained, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So, does that mean we're using the Galleons?"

"Hell yeah," Lucy said, reaching out and plucking one of the Galleons from the basket.

The rest of the group also stepped forward to receive a coin.

"You know what these remind me of?" Harry asked in a quiet voice to Lucy, Hermione, and Ron.

"No; what's that?" Hermione replied.

"The Death Eaters' marks," Harry answered. "Voldemort touches one of them, all their marks burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well—yes," Hermione said. "That _is_ where I got the idea… but you'll notice I decided to engrave the dates on bits of metal rather than our members' skin.…"

"Yeah… I prefer your way," Harry said.

"I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them," Lucy commented.

"Fat chance," Ron cut in. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

**~LJ:NK~**

Unfortunately, due to the first Quidditch match of the season coming up, the D.A. meetings had to be put on hold. Angelina had the Gryffindor team practicing nearly every day. However, just because they couldn't have formal meetings, that didn't mean they couldn't spend time working on homework and practicing on their own in the Room of Requirement.

Lucy spent most nights in the Room of Requirement with Hermione, Neville, Jeremy, Ernie, Justin, Hannah, and Susan. Some of the others came around on some nights, but not nearly as often. The Ravenclaws preferred to study on their own, and those who weren't in fifth year had their own friends they would rather spend time with.

"All right, Neville," Lucy said. "Try again."

She was standing in the middle of the room with a bunch of cushions surrounding her. Neville was facing her, his wand at the ready. They were practicing Stunning.

"Take a breath," Lucy advised, "and _focus_."

Neville took a deep breath, his eyes screwed up in concentration, and pointed his wand at Lucy. "_Stupefy_!" he exclaimed.

The spell hit Lucy in the ribs, and she fell over. She struggled for only a second before she quickly sprang back to her feet.

Neville looked downcast. "I'm never going to get this right!" he stormed at himself.

"Yes, you will," Lucy said firmly. "This isn't an easy spell, Nev." When Neville still looked upset, Lucy added, "Let's take a break for a while. We've done enough practicing for now."

Neville agreed, and he joined Hannah and Justin at a circular table. Lucy went over to a pile of cushions where Jeremy was sprawled out, reading one of his textbooks.

"Incoming!" Lucy exclaimed, pouncing onto the cushions next to him.

Jeremy chuckled, shutting his book. Lucy wiggled her way into his side, curling up under his arm.

"How's Neville doing?" Jeremy asked as she got comfortable.

"He's getting better," Lucy replied. "His Stunner isn't hitting as hard as it should be, but at least he's knocking his target down now."

Jeremy gave her a smile and kissed her temple. "I'm sure with all this extra help, he'll be able to master it," he reasoned.

Their gazes remained locked, and Lucy felt a swooping sensation in her gut. They had been together for almost a year, and yet he still gave her butterflies.

Jeremy cupped her face in his free hand and leaned over her. He pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, a warm, happy feeling building in her chest. They continued to embrace, wrapped up in each other, when there was a burst of laughter from somewhere nearby. The noise reminded Lucy that there were other people in the room, and she pulled away from Jeremy, feeling herself blush. She cleared her throat awkwardly, and Jeremy sniggered.

"So, are you ready for this Quidditch match?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Lucy answered. "I can't believe how excited the school is getting over it. I know that there was no Quidditch last year, but I keep overhearing people making bets."

"No pressure for either team, then, huh?" Jeremy laughed.

Lucy sighed and took one of his hands in hers. "I hate it when Gryffindor and Slytherin play against each other," she pouted. "Then I can't stand with you at the match."

Jeremy leaned over and kissed her again. "It'll be okay," he said. "It's only one match."

Lucy smiled at him.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning was the day of the big Quidditch match. It was a bright but cold morning, and Lucy and Hermione made sure to put on many extra layers. Then they went down to the Great Hall together for breakfast.

"Good morning, Neville," Lucy said, smiling at her classmate as she and Hermione sat down next to him.

"Morning," Neville said. "Bit of a cold day for Quidditch, isn't it?"

"No kidding," Lucy agreed, glancing up at the ceiling of the Great Hall. It showed a bright, cloudless sky, and Lucy added, "At least it isn't snowing."

Ginny joined them a few minutes later, sitting down next to Hermione. "Morning!" she said brightly. "Could you pass the marmalade?"

Neville pushed the jar down the table towards her.

Then Harry and Ron came up to them, and Harry practically forced Ron to sit down.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked, looking at her brother in concern.

"He's just nervous," Harry answered for Ron. "All he needs is to get some food in him, and he'll be ready to go." He began to prepare plates for both himself and Ron.

"Well, that's a good sign," Hermione said encouragingly. "I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous."

There was silence for a few minutes while Harry began eating, but Ron simply stared at his food.

"Hello," a voice said from behind Lucy.

Lucy, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny turned to see Luna Lovegood standing there. On her head was a hat shaped like a lion's head. Some people nearby were giggling at the ridiculous headgear.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor," Luna explained, gesturing to the hat. "Look what it does.…" She pulled her wand out and tapped the hat with it. The lion head gave a very lifelike roar, and everyone in the hall jumped at the noise.

"Merlin," Lucy breathed. She pressed her hand against her chest, her heart rate higher than normal.

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent—to represent Slytherin, you know—but there wasn't time. Anyway… good luck, Ronald!" Then she turned and headed back to her own table.

Next, Angelina came over, followed by Katie and Alicia. "When you're ready, we're going to go straight down to the pitch," Angelina told Harry and Ron. "We want to check out the conditions and change."

"We'll be there in a bit," Harry replied. "Ron's just got to have some breakfast."

For the next ten minutes, Lucy, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville attempted to get Ron to have something to eat. Ron refused, no matter what they said or which food they stuck under his nose. Harry had no choice but to lead Ron out of the Great Hall with Ron's stomach empty.

"Good luck, Ron," Hermione said before they left. "And you, Harry—"

The others echoed similar sentiments.

A few minutes later, as the Gryffindors were finishing their breakfasts, a voice called out, "Lucy!"

Lucy turned to see Jeremy hurrying towards her. "Hi," she greeted, frowning in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Er," he started, looking anxious. "Hey, Neville—is it all right if I sit down for a minute?"

"Of course," Neville replied, scooting over so Jeremy could sit down.

"There's something you need to know," Jeremy began. "All of you, really. I managed to snag one, so you could see it.…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver badge in the shape of a crown. On it read _Weasley is Our King_.

"What—what does this mean?" Lucy asked, her brow furrowing.

"Well, most of the Slytherins know that Ron has been really nervous about this match," Jeremy explained. "So Malfoy took it upon himself to get our house to be as distracting as possible. There may or may not be a chant that goes along with it.…"

"That foul little stinkbug," Lucy seethed, turning and scanning the Slytherin table, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.

"They've already gone down to the pitch," Jeremy said. He shook his head, sighing. "I just hope Ron is up for this. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I am taking no part in this," he added, dropping the badge onto the table. He looked upset—more upset than Lucy thought he should be.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Lucy asked Neville, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Yes, of course," Hermione said at once. "We'll head down to the pitch and save you a spot."

"Thanks," Lucy said, and Hermione, Neville, and Ginny left for the grounds. "Okay, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, turning back to her boyfriend.

"I just don't want everyone else to think that I'm going along with this," Jeremy replied. "There are actually quite a few people who refused to participate. It's just that—I'm part of the D.A. with all these people from the other houses who are just going to think that I helped bully Ron. What if they don't want me to be part of the group anymore?"

"It's a good thing it's not up to them, then," Lucy said. She took one of his hands. "_I_ know that you would never be this cruel to anyone. _I_ know that you want your team to win fair and square. If it's bothering you so much, maybe you could come and sit next to us."

"No, I don't think your other house members would appreciate that very much," Jeremy replied. "The important thing is that you know that I'm not a part of _that_." He gestured to the badge, still sitting on the table.

"Mind if I take this?" Lucy asked, picking it up.

Jeremy frowned in confusion but nodded. "Not sure why you'd need it, but okay," he said. "We better get going. The match is going to start soon."

The two of them stood from the table, and Lucy kissed Jeremy firmly. "Everything will be all right," she said. "Don't worry too much, okay?"

"Okay," Jeremy agreed. He gave her a small smile and then walked away from the Gryffindor table.

Lucy, meanwhile, pocketed the badge. Then she hurried down to the pitch by herself, and when she reached the stands, she gazed around until she saw Neville and Hermione waving their hands in the air, so she could find them. She squeezed past a group of third-years and stood next to Hermione.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Lucy replied. "Jeremy's just worried that people in the D.A. are going to think that he participated in this whole _Weasley is Our King_ thing, and they'll want to kick him out."

"We won't kick him out!" Hermione gasped. "I feel horrible that he thinks that. He must know that we trust him now, right?"

"He knows that _we_ do," Lucy replied, gesturing between the two of them and Neville, "but he doesn't know some of the others very well. They might not trust him just because he's in Slytherin."

Before their conversation could go any further, a loud voice echoed around the stadium.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season!" Lee Jordan, who was commentating as usual, exclaimed. "Today's match is Slytherin versus Gryffindor! Here is the Slytherin team: Montague, Pucey, Warrington, Crabbe, Goyle, Bletchley, and Malfoy."

"Crabbe and Goyle?" Lucy repeated, stunned. "I can't believe Crabbe and Goyle made the team!"

"What positions are they playing?" Neville asked.

"They're the Beaters, I think," Lucy answered. "Montague, Pucey, and Warrington are all Chasers."

"Here comes the Gryffindor team!" Lee continued as seven figures in red robes entered the stadium. "Johnson, Spinnet, Bell, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, and Potter!"

Lucy and her fellow Gryffindors roared their support.

Madam Hooch, the referee for the match, had the captains shake hands at midfield and then blew her whistle, signaling the beginning of the game. The fourteen players zoomed into the air.

"It's Johnson—Johnson with the Quaffle," Lee began. "What a player that girl is—I've been saying it for years, but she still won't go out with me—"

"Possibly because she fancies one of your best mates!" Lucy shouted, and several Gryffindors around her laughed.

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall, who was observing Lee's commentating, scolded.

"Just a fun fact, Professor. Adds a bit of interest," Lee insisted. "She's ducked Warrington—she's passed Montague—she's—ouch—been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe.… Montague catches the Quaffle—Montague heading back up the pitch and—nice Bludger there from George Weasley. That's a Bludger to the head for Montague, and he drops the Quaffle, which is caught by Katie Bell. Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet, and Spinnet's away—"

"Can you hear singing?" Hermione asked, frowning as she strained to listen.

"I think it's coming from the Slytherin section," Lucy said. "Jeremy said they made up a chant, remember?"

"I can't tell what they're saying, though; can you?" Neville added.

"—dodges Warrington—avoids a Bludger," Lee continued. "Close call, Alicia—and the crowd are loving this. Just listen to them. What's that they're singing?"

He paused, and the song coming from the Slytherin section grew loud enough for the rest of the stadium to hear.

_Weasley cannot save a thing,  
He cannot block a single ring,  
That's why Slytherins all sing:  
Weasley is our King._

_Weasley was born in a bin,  
He always lets the Quaffle in,  
Weasley will make sure we win,  
Weasley is our King._

Lucy closed her shaking hands into fists and clenched her teeth together. _What _asshole_ would make up a song like that?_ she thought, before remembering what Jeremy had said: _Malfoy_. Of course.

"—and Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Lee shouted, louder than ever, obviously trying to drown out the Slytherin's singing. "Come on, now, Angelina—looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat! SHE SHOOTS—SHE—aaah…"

Bletchley had swooped in and saved the goal, throwing it down the field to Warrington. As Warrington neared Ron, the Slytherins sang even louder.

_Weasley is our King,  
Weasley is our King,  
He always lets the Quaffle in,  
Weasley is our King._

"—and it's Warrington with the Quaffle," Lee said. "Warrington's heading for goal—he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead—"

_Weasley cannot save a single thing,  
He cannot block a single ring_

"—so, it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper, Weasley, brother of Beaters, Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team—come on, Ron!"

There were groans all around Lucy as Warrington threw the Quaffle past Ron and into the goal.

"Slytherin score!" Lee announced. "So, that's ten-nil to Slytherin—bad luck, Ron.…"

_WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,  
HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN_

"—and Gryffindor back in possession, and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch," Lee continued, still trying to talk above the noise of the Slytherins' singing, but it was almost no use.

_WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN,  
WEASLEY IS OUR KING._

Lucy locked her hands together behind her head, looking up to see if she could find Harry anywhere. He was circling the stadium, and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. The Slytherins continued to sing, and Lucy did her best to block them out.

"—and it's Warrington again," Lee shouted, "who passes to Pucey. Pucey's off, past Spinnet—come on, now, Angelina—you can take him—turns out you can't—but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley—I mean, George Weasley—oh, who cares, one of them anyway—and Warrington drops the Quaffle, and Katie Bell—er—drops it too—so that's Montague with the Quaffle. Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle, and he's off up the pitch—come on, now, Gryffindor, block him! Montague passes to Pucey, and Pucey's dodged Alicia again. He's heading straight for goal—stop it, Ron!"

"Come on, Ron!" Lucy shouted.

It didn't make any difference. Ron had let in another goal, and the Slytherins were screaming their song.

_THAT'S WHY SLYTHERINS ALL SING:  
WEASLEY IS OUR KING._

The brutal game continued, and Ron let in two more goals, making the score forty-zero in Slytherin's favor.

"—and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey—ducks Montague—nice swerve, Katie!" Lee was yelling at the top of his voice. "She throws to Johnson—Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle—she's past Warrington—she's heading for goal—come on now, Angelina—GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten! Forty-ten to Slytherin, and Pucey has the Quaffle—"

Finally, the Gryffindor supporters had something to yell about. Somewhere nearby, Lucy could hear the roar from Luna's hat.

"C'mon, Harry," she murmured, folding her hands together worriedly. "C'mon, Harry—find that Snitch.…"

Suddenly, Harry dived, and Malfoy was on his tail in a matter of seconds. Lucy only had eyes for the two Seekers, who were hurtling neck-and-neck for the Snitch. Then Harry soared into the air, his fist clenched around the tiny ball, holding it high above his head.

"YES!" Lucy screamed. "YES, THANK MERLIN! HE DID IT!"

She and Hermione jumped up and down together as Madam Hooch was blowing her whistle to signal the end of the game—

A Bludger came flying out of nowhere and crashed into Harry's back, throwing him forward off his broom. Thankfully he only had a few feet to fall, but Lucy let out a scream anyway. Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, gesturing wildly at Crabbe. The rest of the Gryffindor team were landing on the field, and Lucy could see that Malfoy was jeering at them, standing not very far from them.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, standing on her tip toes to try and see what was happening on the field.

"Looks like Crabbe is going to get in some trouble for hitting Harry with the Bludger," Neville reported.

"No, I meant what's going on down there on the field?" Lucy asked, pointing at the Gryffindor team and Malfoy.

It looked as though Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and Harry were restraining Fred and George from running at the other team's Seeker. Then, without warning, Harry and George were charging toward Malfoy.

"Oh, my!" Hermione gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

"Let me through!" Lucy commanded, pushing through the Gryffindor crowd. She jumped down the stairs and sprinted across the field towards the Gryffindor team.

By the time she'd reached them, Madam Hooch had separated the boys. "What do you think you're doing?" she was yelling, her wand held aloft.

Lucy quickly went up to Ron and tugged on his sleeve, so he knew she was there. Then she surveyed the scene in front of her; Malfoy was curled up on the grass, his nose bleeding, while George and Harry were standing together. George had a swollen lip, but Harry seemed fine. Fred was struggling to get out of Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's grip.

"I've never seen behavior like it!" Madam Hooch stormed at Harry and George. "Back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! _Now!_"

George and Harry turned without a word and left the field. Madam Hooch turned to some of the other Slytherin team members and directed them to take Malfoy up to the hospital wing. Fred was still looking livid.

Lucy pulled on Ron's robe sleeve once again to get his attention. "What just happened?" she asked in a low voice. Ron shrugged, looking upset, and so Lucy added, "Do you want me to wait for you while you change?"

"Sure," Ron answered hoarsely.

Other Gryffindors were trickling onto the field, and Angelina had managed to subdue Fred enough to escort him from the pitch. The Gryffindor team went into their locker room, and Lucy heard her name being called.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she and Neville caught up with Lucy. "Where did Harry and George go?"

"They attacked Malfoy for some reason," Lucy replied. "I'm not sure why. Madam Hooch sent them off to McGonagall's office."

"Well, that's… interesting," Hermione said. "At least we won!"

"Yes, there's that," Lucy said, frowning.

"Do you think there will be a party tonight?" Neville asked.

"You know, Neville, I'm not sure that there will be," Lucy said.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night in the common room, instead of a party, the Gryffindor team was huddled in front of the fire, along with Lucy, Hermione, and Ginny. Ron was the only one who was missing. Harry, George, and Fred had just told them all what had happened on the field and then informed them that Umbridge had given the three boys a lifelong Quidditch ban.

"Banned," Angelina echoed faintly. "_Banned_. No Seeker and no Beaters.… What on earth are we going to do?"

"It's just so unfair," Alicia moaned. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned _him_?"

"No," Ginny spoke up. "He just got lines. I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."

"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" Alicia added angrily.

"It's not my fault I didn't," Fred growled. "I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you three hadn't been holding me back."

Lucy looked up as the Snitch that Harry had caught zoomed past their heads. The rest of the common room also appeared to be in a stupor; nobody seemed to know how to react to what had happened. They had _won_, but it certainly didn't feel that way.

"I'm going to bed," Angelina said resignedly. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream.… Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet.…"

Alicia accompanied her from the common room, followed shortly after by Katie. Fred and George got up next, looking uncharacteristically angry, and Ginny soon went to bed, as well.

Lucy had her head propped up on her hands, staring into the fire. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Harry was feeling right now, and she didn't know what she could say to help him.

"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

Lucy turned to look at Harry, who was shaking his head. "I think he's avoiding us," Lucy supplied. "I waited for him after the match, but when we got back to the castle, he went off on his own. I haven't seen him since. Where do you think he—?"

The portrait hole opened, stopping Lucy mid-sentence. Ron had just climbed into the common room, his hair soaked with snow. He froze when he saw Lucy, Harry, and Hermione staring at him.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Walking," Ron mumbled.

"You look frozen," Lucy said in concern. "Come and sit down in front of the fire."

Ron slumped over to them and fell into an armchair, not looking at Harry. After a few moments of silence, he finally said, "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Harry asked.

"For thinking I can play Quidditch," Ron replied. "I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"If you resign, there'll only be three players left on the team," Harry informed him, and Ron looked at him, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I've been given a lifetime ban," Harry explained. "So've Fred and George."

"What!?" Ron exclaimed.

Lucy and Hermione took turns filling him in on what had happened.

When they were finished, Ron looked appalled. He buried his face in his hands and moaned, "This is all my fault—"

"You didn't _make _me punch Malfoy," Harry shot back.

"—if I wasn't so _lousy_ at Quidditch—"

"—it's got nothing to do with that—"

"—it was that song that wound me up—"

"—it would've wound _anyone_ up—"

Hermione got up from the couch and moved away to the window, looking out onto the grounds as Harry and Ron continued to bicker.

"Look, drop it, will you!" Harry snapped. "It's bad enough without you blaming yourself for everything!"

"Just stop it!" Lucy said, looking between the two of them. "There's no point in arguing. It's already happened. Time to move on."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"This is the worst I've ever felt in my life," Ron croaked.

"Join the fucking club," Harry said miserably.

"Well, I can think of one thing that might cheer you both up," Hermione piped up from her place near the window.

"Oh, yeah?" Harry asked wearily.

"Yeah," Hermione said. She turned to look at the other three, a smile growing on her face. "Hagrid's back."

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Lucy and Neville having a closer friendship is important for future stories, so that's why I decided to have Lucy specifically helping Neville out in the D.A.**_

_**Lucy's and Jeremy's physical relationship is slowly growing more heated... wink.**_


	17. 17: Hagrid Returns

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 17 – Hagrid Returns**

"I'll be right back!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up and sprinting for the boys' staircase.

"Where is he going?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"I'm sure he's getting his Invisibility Cloak!" Lucy answered excitedly. "C'mon, Hermione. Let's go upstairs and get our scarves and stuff."

Five minutes later, the four fifth-years were gathered back in the common room. Harry threw the cloak over their heads, and they slowly made their way out of the common room and through the castle. Thankfully, they only passed Nearly Headless Nick on their way down to the entrance hall.

When they reached the grounds, they could see that there were lights on in Hagrid's hut. Harry sped up, causing the others to stumble over each other to keep up.

When they got to the hut, Harry pounded on the door. "Hagrid, it's us!" he said.

"Shoulda known!" a voice called back through the door. "Bin home three seconds.… Out the way, Fang.… _Out the way_, yeh dozy dog.…"

Finally, the door opened, and Hagrid stuck his head outside. Hermione screamed.

Hagrid shushed them, "Merlin's beard. Keep it down! Under that cloak, are yeh? Well, get in! Get in!"

"I'm sorry!" Hermione said as the four of them entered the house. "I just—oh, _Hagrid_!"

Meanwhile, Harry pulled the cloak off them.

"It's nuthin'!" Hagrid hurried to defend himself, but it didn't look like nothing. Hagrid's hair was matted down and full of dried blood. He had a black eye, and his face and hands were covered in scratches. When he moved, he hobbled across the room, as though experiencing pain either in his knees or legs. He went over to the fire and set a kettle over it.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked as Lucy squatted down and scratched Fang's ears.

"Told yeh, _nuthin_'," Hagrid replied. "Want a cuppa?"

"Come off it," Ron scoffed. "You're in a right state!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," Hagrid said. He stood up straight and winced. "Blimey, it's good ter see you four again—had good summers, did yeh?"

"Hagrid, you look like you've been attacked," Lucy pointed out.

"Fer the las' time, it's nuthin'!" Hagrid insisted.

"Would you say it was nothing if one of _us_ turned up with a pound of mince instead of a face?" Ron asked.

"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," Hermione added. "Some of those cuts look nasty."

"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" Hagrid said. He went over to his table and pushed aside a towel that had been covering a plate. On it was a large, raw steak.

"You're not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid?" Ron asked, looking closer at the meat. "It looks poisonous."

"It's s'pposed ter look like tha'," Hagrid answered ."It's dragon meat, an' I didn' get it ter eat." He grabbed the slab of meat and pushed it up against his eye. He let out a loud noise of satisfaction and said, "Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know."

"So, are you going to tell us what's happened to you?" Harry pressed.

"Can't, Harry," Hagrid replied. "Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh tha'."

"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" Lucy whispered.

Hagrid dropped his steak, his eyes wide. "Giants?" he repeated, snatching up the meat and holding it back over his eye. "Who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh wha' I've—who's said I've bin—eh?"

"At the end of last year, Dumbledore mentioned that he wanted you to send envoys to the giants," Lucy replied.

"Did he?" Hagrid grunted.

"Yes, so we guessed that's what you were doing," Hermione said.

"Oh, yeh did, did yeh?" Hagrid asked.

"It was kind of… obvious," Ron added, and Harry nodded his agreement.

Hagrid let out a snort, tossed his steak onto the table, and went back to the fire. "Never known kids like you four fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta," he chuckled. He lifted the kettle off the fire and poured the water into one of his large mugs. "I'm not complimentin' yeh, neither. _Nosy,_ some'd call it. _Interferin'."_

"Then why are you smiling?" Lucy asked slyly.

"So, you _have_ been to look for giants?" Harry prompted.

Hagrid filled up four more mugs with water from the kettle and set the tea out on the table. "Yeah, all righ'," he said, sitting down at the table and putting the steak back on his eye. "I have."

The four Gryffindors took seats around the table, as well, eagerly waiting for Hagrid to elaborate.

"And you found them?" Hermione asked.

"Well, they're not tha' difficult ter find, ter be honest," Hagrid replied. "Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" Lucy asked.

"Mountains," Hagrid stated.

Ron started, "So why don't Muggles—?"

"They do," Hagrid cut him off. "On'y their deaths are always put down ter mountaineerin' accidents, aren' they?" He shifted the steak a little bit.

"Come on, Hagrid. Tell us what you've been up to!" Ron demanded. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants, and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the dementors—"

Hagrid simultaneously dropped his steak and spat out a mouthful of tea. The steak fell to the floor, and Fang bounded over to it excitedly.

"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?" Hagrid asked wildly.

"Didn't you hear about it?" Lucy asked.

"I don' know anything tha's bin happenin' since I left," Hagrid answered. "I was on a secret mission, wasn' I? Didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place—ruddy dementors! Yeh're not serious?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry said. "They turned up in Little Whinging and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me—"

"WHA'?" Hagrid thundered.

"—and I had to go to a hearing and everything. But tell us about the giants first."

"You were _expelled_?" Hagrid repeated.

"Tell us about your summer, and I'll tell you about mine," Harry said firmly.

Hagrid and Harry glared at each other for a moment before Hagrid sighed. "Oh, all righ'," he said. He reached under the table and pulled the meat out of Fang's mouth.

"Oh, Hagrid, don't," Hermione began. "It's not hygien—"

Hagrid ignored her and put the steak back against his eye. Hermione shook her head, and Hagrid took another sip of his tea.

"Well," he started, "we set off righ' after term ended—"

"Madam Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione asked before he could continue.

"Yeah, tha's right," Hagrid answered. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair o' us. I'll tell yeh this: she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin', I wondered how she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha'—bu' she never complained once."

"So you knew where you were going?" Harry echoed. "You knew where the giants were?"

"Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us," Hagrid said.

"Are they hidden?" Ron asked. "Is it a secret, where they are?"

"Not really," Hagrid replied. "It's jus' tha' mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, s'long as it's a good long way away. Where they are's very difficult ter get ter—fer humans, anyway—so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there—"

"A _month_?" Lucy repeated. "Why did it take you so long?"

"We were bein' watched," Hagrid answered.

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

"Yeh don' understand," Hagrid said. "The Ministry's keepin' an eye on Dumbledore an' anyone they reckon's in league with him, an'—"

"We know about that," Harry interrupted. "We know about the Ministry watching Dumbledore—"

"So you couldn't use magic to get there?" Ron asked. "You had to act like Muggles _all the way_?"

"Well, not exactly all the way," Hagrid said. "We jus' had ter be careful, 'cause Olympe an' me, we stick out a bit—"

Ron made a noise and quickly took a long gulp of his tea.

"—so we're not hard ter follow," Hagrid went on. "We was pretendin' we was goin' on holiday together, so when we got inter France, we made like we was headin' fer where Olympe's school is. We knew we was bein' tailed by someone from the Ministry. We had to go slow, 'cause I'm not really s'pposed ter use magic. We knew the Ministry'd be lookin' for a reason ter run us in, but we managed ter give the berk tailin' us the slip 'round abou' Dee-John—"

"Ooooh, Dijon?" Hermione cut in. "I've been there on holiday. Did you see—?"

"'Mione?" Lucy stopped her gently. "This is probably not the best time."

"We chanced a bit o' magic after tha', and it wasn' a bad journey," Hagrid continued. "Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border, an' I had a slight disagreement with a vampire in a pub in Minsk—but apart from tha', couldn't'a bin smoother.

"Then we reached the place, an' we started trekkin' up through the mountains, lookin' fer signs of 'em.… We had ter lay off the magic once we got near 'em—partly 'cause they don' like wizards, an' we didn' want ter put their backs up too soon—and partly 'cause Dumbledore had warned us You-Know-Who was bound ter be after giants an' all. Said it was odds on he'd sent a messenger off ter them already. Told us ter be very careful of drawin' attention to ourselves as we got nearer, in case there was Death Eaters around." Hagrid paused to take a drink of his tea.

"Go on!" Harry urged.

"Found 'em," Hagrid went on. "Went over a ridge one nigh', an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below, an' huge shadows.… It was like watchin' bits o' the mountain movin'."

"How big are they?" Ron asked.

"'Bout twenty feet," Hagrid said. "Some o' the bigger ones mighta bin twenty-five."

"How many were there?" Lucy asked.

"I reckon abou' seventy or eighty," Hagrid replied.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," Hagrid replied, sounding sad. "Eighty left, an' there was loads once. Musta bin a hundred diff'rent tribes from all over the world, but they've bin dyin' out fer ages. Wizards killed a few, o' course, but mostly they killed each other. Now they're dyin' out faster than ever. They're not made ter live bunched up together like tha'. Dumbledore says it's our fault. It was the wizards who forced 'em to go an' made 'em live a good long way from us, an' they had no choice but ter stick together fer their own protection."

"So, you saw them, and then what?" Harry asked.

"Well, we waited 'til morning," Hagrid said. "We didn' want ter go sneakin' up on 'em in the dark, fer our own safety. At abou' three in the mornin', they fell asleep jus' where they was sittin'. We didn' dare sleep. Fer one thing, we wanted ter make sure none of 'em woke up an' came up where we were, an' fer another, the snorin' was unbelievable. Caused an avalanche near mornin'.

"Anyway, once it was light, we wen' down ter see 'em."

"Just like that?" Ron asked. "You just walked right into a giant camp?"

"Well, Dumbledore'd told us how ter do it," Hagrid explained. "Give the Gurg gifts and show some respect, yeh know."

"Give the _what_ gifts?" Harry asked.

"Oh, the Gurg—means the chief," Hagrid said.

"How could you tell which one was the Gurg?" Lucy asked.

"No problem," Hagrid said. "He was the biggest, the ugliest, an' the laziest. Sittin' there waitin' ter be brought food by the others. Dead goats an' such like. Name o' Karkus. I'd put him at twenty-two or twenty-three feet, an' the weight of a couple o' bull elephants. Skin like rhino hide an' all."

"You just walked up to him?" Hermione asked.

"Well… _down_ ter him, where he was lyin' in the valley," Hagrid said. "They was in this dip between four pretty high mountains, see, beside a mountain lake. Karkus was lyin' by the lake, roarin' at the others ter feed him an' his wife. Olympe an' I went down the mountainside—"

"Didn't they try and kill you when they saw you?" Ron interrupted.

"It was def'nitely on some o' their minds," Hagrid replied, "but we did wha' Dumbledore told us ter do, which was ter hold our gift up high, keep our eyes on the Gurg, an' ignore the others. So tha's what we did. The rest of 'em went quiet an' watched us pass, an' we got righ' up ter Karkus's feet. Then we bowed an' put our present down in front o' him."

"What do you give a giant?" Ron asked. "Food?"

"Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself," Hagrid said. "We took him magic. Giants like magic; they jus' don't like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, tha' firs' day, we gave him a branch o' Gubraithain fire."

"Wow," Hermione breathed, but Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks.

"A branch of _what_, exactly?" Ron asked.

"Everlasting fire," Hermione said distractedly.

"You should know that by now," Lucy commented. "Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class."

"Well, anyway," Hagrid cut in before Ron could retort, "Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn evermore, which isn' somethin' _any_ wizard could do. So, I lie it down in the snow by Karkus's feet and say, _A gift to the Gurg of the giants from Albus Dumbledore, who sends his respectful greetings._"

"What did Karkus say?" Lucy prompted.

"Nothin'," Hagrid replied. "Didn' speak English."

"You're kidding!" Harry gasped.

"Didn' matter," Hagrid went on. "Dumbledore had warned us tha' migh' happen. Karkus knew enough ter yell fer a couple o' giants who knew our lingo, an' they translated fer us."

"Did he like the present?" Ron asked.

"Oh, yeah, it went down a storm once they understood wha' it was," Hagrid answered. "Very pleased. So then I said, _Albus Dumbledore asks the Gurg to speak with his messenger when he returns tomorrow with another gift._"

"Why couldn't you speak to them that day?" Hermione asked, looking puzzled.

"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," Hagrid said. "Let 'em see we kept our promises. _We'll come back tomorrow with another present_, an' then we do come back with another present—gives a good impression, see? Gives 'em time ter test out the firs' present, too, an' find out it's a good one. Gets 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus—overload 'em with information, an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things.

"So, we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend the night in. Then the followin' mornin', we went back, an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us an' lookin' all eager."

"So _then_ you talked to him?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yeah," Hagrid said. "Firs' we presented him with a nice battle helmet—goblin made an' indestructible, yeh know—an' then we sat down, an' we talked."

"What did he say?" Lucy asked.

"Not much," Hagrid replied. "Listened mostly, but there was good signs. He'd heard o' Dumbledore—heard he'd argued against the killin' of the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int'rested in wha' Dumbledore had ter say. A few o' the others—'specially the ones who had some English—they gathered 'round an' listened, too. We were hopeful when we left tha' day. We promised ter come back next day with another present… but tha' nigh', it all wen' wrong."

"What d'you mean?" Ron questioned.

"Well, like I say, they're not meant ter live together, giants," Hagrid explained. "Not in big groups like tha'. They can' help themselves—they half-kill each other every few weeks. The men figh' each other, an' the women figh' each other—the remnants of the old tribes figh' each other—an' tha's even without squabbles over food an' the best fires an' sleepin' spots. Yeh'd think, seein' as how their whole race is abou' finished, they'd lay off each other, but…"

Hagrid paused to let out a sigh before continuing, "Tha' nigh', a figh' broke out. We saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin' down on the valley. Went on fer hours—yeh wouldn' believe the noise. When the sun came up, the snow was scarlet, an' his head was lyin' at the bottom o' the lake."

"Whose head?" Hermione squeaked.

"Karkus's," Hagrid answered. "There was a new Gurg: Golgomath. Well, we hadn't bargained on a new Gurg two days after we'd made friendly contact with the firs' one. We had a funny feelin' Golgomath wouldn' be so keen ter listen to us, but we had ter try."

"You went to speak to him?" Ron asked. "After you'd watched him rip off another giant's head?"

"'Course we did," Hagrid said. "We hadn' gone all tha' way ter give up after two days! We wen' down with the next present we'd meant ter give ter Karkus."

"And how did it go with the new guy?" Lucy asked.

"I knew it was a no go before I'd opened me mouth," Hagrid said heavily. "He was sitting there, wearin' Karkus's helmet an' leerin' at us as we got nearer. He's massive—one o' the biggest ones there. Black hair an' matchin' teeth an' a necklace o' bones—human-lookin' bones, some of 'em. Well, I gave it a go—held out a great roll o' dragon skin—an' said, _A gift fer the Gurg of the giants_—Nex' thing I knew, I was hangin' upside down in the air by me feet. Two of his mates had grabbed me."

Hermione let out a gasp, and Lucy's jaw dropped open.

"How did you get out of _that_?" Harry asked.

"Wouldn'ta done if Olympe hadn' bin there," Hagrid replied. "She pulled out her wand an' did some o' the fastes' spell work I've ever seen. Ruddy marvelous. Hit the two holdin' me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitis Curses, an' they dropped me straightaway—bu' we were in trouble then, 'cause we'd used magic against 'em. Tha's what giants hate abou' wizards. We had ter leg it, an' we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter camp again."

"Blimey, Hagrid," Ron breathed.

"So how come it's taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?" Hermione asked.

"We didn' leave after three days!" Hagrid said defensively. "Dumbledore was relyin' on us!"

"You just said there was no way you could go back!" Lucy said, frowning.

"Not by daylight, we couldn', no," Hagrid said. "We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o' days lyin' low up in the cave an' watchin'. Wha' we saw wasn' good."

"Did he rip off more heads?" Hermione asked faintly.

"No," Hagrid replied. "I wish he had."

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

"I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter _all_ wizards—just us," Hagrid answered.

"Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Hagrid scowled darkly. "Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry day, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling _them_ upside down."

"How d'you know they were Death Eaters?" Ron asked.

"I recognized one of 'em," Hagrid explained. "Macnair—remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath. No wonder they were gettin' on so well."

"So, Macnair's persuaded the giants to join You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked.

"Hold yer hippogriffs, I haven't finished me story yet!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Me an' Olympe talked it over, an' we agreed tha' jus' 'cause the Gurg looked like he was favorin' You-Know-Who, didn' mean all of 'em would. We had ter try an' persuade some o' the others—the ones who hadn't wanted Golgomath as Gurg."

"How could you tell which ones they were?" Lucy asked.

"Well, they were the ones bein' beaten to a pulp, weren' they?" Hagrid answered. "The ones with any sense were keepin' outta Golgomath's way an' hidin' out in caves 'round the gully, jus' like we were. So, we decided we'd go pokin' 'round the caves by nigh' an' see if we couldn' persuade a few o' them."

"You went poking around dark caves looking for giants?" Ron repeated.

"Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most," Hagrid continued. "We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was, they knew we was around—'spect Golgomath told him abou' us. At nigh', when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' 'round the mountains, lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at 'em. She was rarin' ter attack 'em—she's somethin' when she's roused, Olympe—fiery, yeh know—'spect it's the French in her.…" Hagrid trailed off, gazing longingly into the fire, clearly thinking about Madam Maxime.

Harry cleared his throat and asked, "So, what happened? Did you ever get near any of the other giants?"

"Wha'? Oh—oh, yeah, we did," Hagrid went on. "Yeah, on the third night after Karkus was killed, we crept outta the cave we'd bin hidin' in and headed back down inter the gully, keepin' our eyes skinned fer the Death Eaters. Got inside a few o' the caves. No go—then, in abou' the sixth one, we found three giants hidin'."

"Cave must've been cramped," Ron commented.

"Wasn' room to swing a kneazle," Hagrid confirmed.

"Didn't they attack you when they saw you?" Hermione asked.

"Probably woulda done, if they'd bin in any condition," Hagrid replied, "but they was badly hurt, all three o' them. Golgomath's lot had beaten 'em unconscious; they'd woken up an' crawled inter the nearest shelter they could find. Anyway, one o' them had a bit of English, an' he translated fer the others. Wha' we had ter say didn' seem ter go down too badly. So, we kept goin' back, visitin' the wounded.… I reckon we had abou' six or seven o' them convinced at one poin'."

"Well, that's not bad," Ron reasoned. "Are they going to come over here and start fighting You-Know-Who with us?"

"What do you mean _at one point_, Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking confused.

"Golgomath's lot raided the caves," Hagrid answered sadly. "The ones tha' survived didn' wan' no more ter do with us after tha'."

"So—so there aren't any giants coming?" Ron asked.

"Nope," Hagrid replied, "but we did wha' we meant ter do—we gave 'em Dumbledore's message, an' some o' them heard it. I 'spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them tha' don' want ter stay 'round Golgomath'll move outta the mountains. There's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em.… Could be they'll come.…"

There was silence for a few moments. Lucy looked out the window.

"Hagrid?" Hermione spoke up.

"Mm?" Hagrid grunted.

"Did you—was there any sign of—did you hear anything about your—your—mother while you were there?" Hermione asked tentatively. Hagrid just looked at her, and after a few seconds, Hermione hastily added, "I'm sorry—I—forget it—"

"Dead," Hagrid finally said. "Died years ago. They told me."

"Oh… I'm—I'm really sorry," Hermione said.

"No need," Hagrid replied, shrugging. "Can' remember her much. Wasn' a great mother."

Hermione looked around at Lucy, Harry, and Ron, silently begging them to change the topic.

"You still haven't explained how you got all of those injuries," Lucy said, looking pointedly at the steak covering his black eye.

"Or why you got back so late," Harry added. "Sirius says Madam Maxime got back ages ago—"

"Who attacked you?" Ron demanded.

"I haven' bin attacked!" Hagrid insisted. "I—"

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking on Hagrid's door. Hermione, letting out a gasp, accidentally dropped her mug. Fang began barking, and the five of them looked to the window next to the front door, which was thankfully covered by curtains.

"_It's her_!" Ron hissed.

"Get under here!" Harry whispered, the Invisibility Cloak already in his hands.

He threw it over his and Hermione's heads, while Lucy and Ron dashed around the table to join them. They all backed into a corner of the hut, while Fang continued to bark at the door.

"Hagrid, hide our mugs!" Lucy said desperately, trying to keep quiet.

Hagrid quickly cleared the mugs from the table and went to the door. He pushed Fang away and opened it.

It was indeed Professor Umbridge, wrapped in a large cloak and wearing a hat, mittens, and scarf. "_So_," she began, speaking loudly as though she either didn't think Hagrid could hear her because of their height difference, or because she thought he was unintelligent. "You're Hagrid, are you?" She stepped past Hagrid and into the hut. Fang bounded up to her, and she waved her purse at the dog, snarling, "Get away."

"Er—I don' want ter be rude," Hagrid said, "but who the ruddy hell are you?"

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand to stop her snigger.

"My name is Dolores Umbridge," Umbridge introduced herself. She was looking all around Hagrid's cabin, barely glancing at the gamekeeper.

"Dolores Umbridge?" Hagrid repeated. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry—don' yeh work fer Fudge?"

"I _was_ Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes," Umbridge explained. "I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—"

"Tha's brave o' yeh," Hagrid commented. "There's not many'd take tha' job anymore—"

"—and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," Umbridge finished, ignoring him.

"Wha's tha'?" Hagrid asked.

"Precisely what I was going to ask," Umbridge said, gesturing to Hermione's broken mug on the floor.

"Oh," Hagrid said, glancing back at where the four Gryffindors were hidden under the cloak. "Oh, tha' was—was Fang. He broke a mug. So, I had ter use this one instead." He pointed out the mug he'd been using that was still sitting on the table.

"I heard voices," Umbridge said abruptly.

"I was talkin' ter Fang," Hagrid replied.

"Was he talking back to you?" Umbridge asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well… in a manner o' speakin'," Hagrid answered. "I sometimes say Fang's near enough human—"

"There are four sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," Umbridge added.

Hermione let out a gasp, and Harry quickly threw his hand over her mouth. Umbridge didn't take any notice.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back," Hagrid said. "Maybe someone came ter call earlier, an' I missed 'em."

"There are no footsteps leading _away_ from your cabin door," Umbridge said.

"Well I—I don' know why that'd be…" Hagrid stammered. He glanced back at where the others were hiding again. "Erm—"

Umbridge took it upon herself to search through Hagrid's cabin. She looked under the bed and the table, and she even checked the cupboards. At one point she was only a few inches from Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What happened to you?" Umbridge asked, turning back to Hagrid when she was finished with her search. "How did you sustain those injuries?"

Hagrid pulled the steak from his black eye, which wasn't helping his case at all. "Oh, I—had a bit of an accident," he said.

"What sort of accident?" Umbridge questioned.

"I—I tripped," Hagrid stuttered.

"You _tripped_," Umbridge echoed, sounding unconvinced.

"Yeah, tha's righ'," Hagrid said quickly. "Over—over a friend's broomstick. I don' fly meself. Well, look at the size o' me—I don' reckon there's a broomstick that'd hold me. Friend o' mine breeds Abraxan horses—I dunno if you've ever seen 'em—big winged beasts, yeh know—I've had a bit of a ride on one o' them, an' it was—"

"Where have you been?" Umbridge cut him off.

Hagrid asked faintly, "Where've I—?"

"Been, yes," Umbridge finished briskly. "Term started more than two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?"

Lucy clenched her teeth together to stop herself from saying anything.

"I—I've been away for me health," Hagrid said vaguely.

"For your health," Umbridge repeated. "I see."

"Yeah," Hagrid continued, "bit o'—o' fresh air, yeh know—"

"Yes—as gamekeeper, fresh air must be _so_ difficult to come by," Umbridge sneered.

Hagrid said, "Well—change o' scenery, yeh know—"

"Mountain scenery?" Umbridge asked immediately.

Hermione grabbed at Lucy's arm, who nodded back at her friend. _Did Umbridge know what Hagrid had been doing?_

"Mountains?" Hagrid echoed. "Nope, south of France fer me. Bit o' sun an'—an' sea."

"Really?" Umbridge said. "You don't have much of a tan."

"Yeah—well—sensitive skin," Hagrid replied.

Umbridge continued to scrutinize the man for a moment longer. Then she hitched her purse into the crook of her elbow. "I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return," she said briskly.

"Righ'," Hagrid said.

"You ought to know, too, that as High Inquisitor, it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers," Umbridge continued. "So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough." She moved to the door.

"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid asked.

"Oh, yes," Umbridge said, looking back at him. "The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night." Then she left, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Harry went to pull the cloak off them, but Hermione stopped him. "Not yet," she whispered. "She might not be gone yet."

Hagrid went to the window by the front door and gazed out of it. "She's goin' back ter the castle," he reported in a quiet voice. "Blimey—inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yeah," Harry answered, pulling the cloak off now that the coast was clear. "Trelawney's on probation already.…"

"Um—what sort of things are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' tha'. I've got a great load o' lessons planned," Hagrid said, giving them a genuine smile. "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year—you wait—they're somethin' really special."

"Erm—special in what way?" Hermione probed.

"I'm not sayin'," Hagrid said stubbornly. "I don' want ter spoil the surprise."

"Look, Hagrid," Lucy said, "that Umbridge woman won't be happy _at_ _all_ if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous—"

"Dangerous?" Hagrid repeated, chuckling. "Don' be silly. I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ'—they can look after themselves—"

"Hagrid, you've _got_ to pass Umbridge's inspection," Lucy said urgently.

"Yes, and it would really be better if she saw you teaching us how to look after porlocks or how to tell the difference between knarls and hedgehogs or other stuff like that!" Hermione added.

"But tha's not very interestin', Hermione," Hagrid complained. "The stuff I've got's much more impressive. I've bin bringin' 'em on fer _years._ I reckon I've got the on'y domestic herd in Britain—"

"Hagrid… please…" Lucy moaned. "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something boring that's bound to come up in our O.W.L.—"

"Listen, it's bin a long day, an' it's late," Hagrid yawned. Lucy and Hermione gave him exasperated looks, and he waved a hand dismissively at them. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me," he said. "I promise yeh, I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back.… Now, you lot had better get back up ter the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

After saying farewell to their friend, the four fifth-years slowly began the walk back up to the castle. Hermione was in the back, using an Obliteration Charm to cover their footprints.

"I dunno if you got through to him," Ron commented as they shuffled through the snow.

"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," Hermione said firmly. "I'll plan his lessons for him if I have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney, but she's not taking Hagrid!"

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: This is a very book-heavy chapter, but I couldn't have Lucy not visit Hagrid with the other three.**_


	18. 18: Mistletoe

**_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_**

* * *

**Chapter 18 – Mistletoe**

The next morning, Hermione went back down to Hagrid's hut, while Ron and Harry stayed in the dormitory to work on their large pile of homework. Lucy, on the other hand, joined Jeremy on the grounds to go ice skating on the lake.

"You've never been skating before?" Jeremy asked as he took his wand out.

"No," Lucy replied. "I like to stay _inside_ when it gets cold out, y'know."

Jeremy chuckled. "All right, lift up your foot," he instructed.

Lucy grabbed his shoulder for support and lifted one of her boots out of the snow. Jeremy waved his wand, and a jet of ice came out of the end, forming into a blade attached to Lucy's boot.

"Wow," Lucy said in awe. "Have you done this before?"

"Yeah," Jeremy answered, gesturing at her to put her other foot up. "My mother taught me how to do this. She used to take me skating all the time." He conjured an ice blade onto Lucy's other boot. "There you go," he said, smiling. Then he quickly performed the spell onto his own boots. "Ready?" he asked.

"I—maybe," Lucy said. She was a little nervous, having never gone skating before.

Jeremy waved his wand one last time, clearing the snow from the ice. "C'mon," he said, stowing his wand in his coat pocket.

He stepped out on the ice and held out his hand to Lucy. She took it and followed him onto the ice. With Jeremy guiding, they skated a few feet away from the shore.

"This is brilliant," Lucy said, slowly getting the hang of it.

"Yeah?" Jeremy asked, his face lighting up. "Do you want to try on your own?"

"Okay," Lucy agreed. She dropped Jeremy's hand and continued to glide along on the ice. Every so often her foot would slip a bit, but she never fell. When she was a little way away from Jeremy, she looked at him over her shoulder to see him watching her with a serene smile on his face.

"You're doing great," he encouraged her. Then he took off, skating a lot faster than Lucy had the courage to try. He made a giant arc and was soon rejoining her.

"So, your mom took you skating when you were a kid, then?" Lucy asked as Jeremy came to a stop in front of her.

"Yes," Jeremy replied. He took both of her hands in his and started to skate backwards, pulling her with him. "She said that she and her sisters grew up skating on the pond at her parents' house in France. The pond was magically made into ice all year long."

There was silence for a few moments as they glided across the ice.

"You're really good at this, by the way," Lucy commented as he pulled her along.

"Thank you," Jeremy said, slowing to a stop. He pulled her into his arms, cupping her cheek in one of his hands, and she rested her hands limply against his chest. "I think I'm going to snog you," he added with a half-smile.

"I'd be okay with that," Lucy said.

Jeremy lowered his mouth onto hers. The kiss was long and lingering, and when he pulled away, the look in his eyes was intense. Lucy's breathing hitched as Jeremy pulled her into another kiss. His hand moved from her face to the back of her head, cradling it gently as his mouth moved against hers. Her hands fisted the front of his coat, and she tried to move closer to him—

"_Shit_!" she screeched as her foot slipped out from under her, and she grasped Jeremy's coat tighter as she started sliding down his torso.

Jeremy caught and braced her.

When Lucy was sure that she was stable again, she let out a shaky laugh. "I don't think that you should snog me while we're on the ice anymore," she commented.

Jeremy chuckled. "Maybe not until you've gotten the hang of it," he agreed. "C'mon."

He held out his hand, and Lucy took it. Then he led her forward again. They skated across the lake together, and for the first time in a long while, Lucy completely forgot about everything going on in the world around them.

**~LJ:NK~**

After spending a while longer outside, Lucy and Jeremy decided to go inside to warm up. They parted in the entrance hall after sharing another kiss. Lucy trooped back up to Gryffindor Tower and entered the common room to find Harry and Ron sitting at a table, surrounded by books.

"How's the homework coming?" she asked, pausing to stand in front of their table.

"Slowly," Harry answered, and Ron just grunted.

"All right," Lucy said. "Well, I'm going to run upstairs to put my winter things away. Is Hermione back from Hagrid's?"

"Not yet," Harry replied.

Lucy nodded and then went up to her dormitory to hang her winter coat and scarf up. She changed out of her boots and into her sneakers, and then she went back down to the common room. Rejoining Harry and Ron, she dropped into one of the extra chairs.

A few minutes later, Hermione stomped into the common room, the bottoms of her robes wet with snow.

"So?" Ron asked as Hermione walked up to them. "Got all his lessons planned for him?"

"Well, I _tried_," Hermione said, sitting down. She pulled her wand out and waved it. Warm air came out of the end of it, and she pointed it towards the bottoms of her robes to dry them off. "He wasn't even there when I arrived," she began. "I was knocking on his door for at least half an hour. Then he came stumping out of the forest—"

Harry let out a groan. "What's he keeping in there?" he asked. "Did he say?"

"No," Hermione replied. "He says he wants them to be a surprise. I tried to explain about Umbridge, but he just doesn't get it. He kept saying nobody in their right mind would rather study knarls than chimaeras—oh, I don't think he's _got_ a chimaera," she added quickly as Lucy's, Harry's, and Ron's eyes widened, "but that's not for lack of trying, from what he said about how hard it is to get eggs.… I don't know how many times I told him he'd be better off following Grubbly-Plank's plan. I honestly don't think he listened to half of what I said. He's in a bit of a funny mood, you know. He still won't say how he got all those injuries.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, there were different reactions from the student body at Hagrid's return. There were some people who seemed very enthusiastic to see the gamekeeper again, going up to him and shaking his hand. There were others, however, who seemed a bit put out that he was back. Lucy knew it was because they preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons.

The fifth-year Gryffindors didn't have Care of Magical Creatures until Tuesday. That morning, bundled up against the cold, they trudged through the snow. There was no sign of Umbridge as they neared Hagrid, who was standing along the edge of the forest. Lucy was walking with Jeremy, just ahead of Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the class.

"Is that… a dead cow?" Lucy asked Jeremy, looking at the dead animal that Hagrid had slung over his shoulder, and Jeremy shrugged.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid announced as the class gathered around. He gestured to the forest. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark.…"

"What prefers the dark?" Lucy heard Malfoy ask quietly. "What did he say prefers the dark—did you hear?"

"What's wrong, Malfoy, afraid of going into the forest?" Lucy asked, looking over her shoulder at the Slytherin boy. "Don't you remember first year when we had detention in here? Oh, right—you were a scared little worm then, too."

Malfoy flushed angrily and sent her a rude hand gesture. Lucy sniggered, sending him one right back.

"Ready?" Hagrid asked. "Righ', well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, wha' we're studyin' today is pretty rare. I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em—"

"You're sure they're trained, are you?" Malfoy interrupted, sounding nervous. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

"Oh, shut _up_, Malfoy," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

"'Course they're trained," Hagrid said.

"So what happened to your face, then?" Malfoy asked.

"Mind yer own business!" Hagrid snapped. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!" He turned and headed into the forest.

The rest of the class seemed uneasy.

"Come on, you bunch of chickens," Lucy sighed, quickly following Hagrid. She heard the rest of the class walking behind her. Lucy had been into the forest a few times now, and she wasn't very scared of it anymore, especially during the day, and with Hagrid.

About ten minutes later, Hagrid finally stopped in an area dense with trees. He dropped the dead cow onto the ground and took a few steps back. The class edged closer to the half-giant.

"Gather 'round," Hagrid said. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat, but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway. They'll like ter know it's me.…" Then he threw his head back and let out a piercing shriek that echoed through the trees. After a moment or two of silence, he did it once more.

A minute went by as the class looked around to try and see what, if anything, was coming. Hagrid looked like he was going to make the call again, but he stopped suddenly, looking intently at the dead cow. Lucy furrowed her brow; it didn't seem like anything was happening. Then she could see that bits of the cow were disappearing, as though something was eating it.

"Hagrid," she said loudly. "Hagrid, what's doing that?"

Most of the class looked around in confusion.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" Hagrid said. "Now… put yer hands up—who can see 'em?"

Harry, Neville, and a Slytherin boy named Theodore Nott rose their hands.

"Yeah… yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," Hagrid said. "You, too, Neville, eh? An'—"

"Excuse me," Malfoy spoke up, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

"Look at the cow, you idiot," Lucy said.

The class looked at the dead animal, and after a moment, there were several shrieks.

"What's doing it?" Parvati asked as bits of the cow continued to disappear. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," Hagrid answered, sounding pleased.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped.

"Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here," Hagrid went on. "Now, who knows—?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" Parvati interrupted, sounding scared. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once—"

Lucy exchanged a glanced with Hermione at the mention of Trelawney.

"No, no, no," Hagrid said, waving her off. "Tha's jus' superstition, that is. They aren' unlucky—they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work. It's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages, unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate—an' here's another couple, look—"

"I think I felt something," Parvati whispered hoarsely. "I think it's near me!"

"Don' worry—it won' hurt yeh," Hagrid assured her. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them, an' some can't?" Hermione immediately raised her hand, and Hagrid said, "Go on, then."

"The only people who can see thestrals are people who have seen death," Hermione answered.

"Tha's exactly right," Hagrid said. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, thestrals—"

"_Hem, hem_."

Lucy repressed a groan and quickly took hold of Jeremy's hand. He squeezed her fingers gently.

Professor Umbridge had arrived in the clearing, but Hagrid hadn't seen her. "_Hem, hem_," she fake-coughed again.

"Oh, hello!" Hagrid said, finally noticing the woman.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" Umbridge asked, speaking loudly and slowly, as though she thought Hagrid couldn't understand her. "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh, yeah," Hagrid said. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see—or, I dunno—can yeh? We're doin' thestrals today—"

"I'm sorry?" Umbridge interrupted. She put her hand behind one of her ears, like she was having trouble hearing, and asked, "What did you say?"

Hagrid frowned in confusion. "Er—_thestrals_!" he repeated. "Big—er—winged horses, yeh know!" He lifted his hands and waved them, imitating wings.

Umbridge looked down at her clipboard. "_Has to—resort—to crude—sign language,_" she muttered as she wrote.

Lucy clenched her teeth, squeezing Jeremy's hand a bit harder.

"Well… anyway…" Hagrid said, still clearly confused. He turned back to the classes and said, "Erm—what was I sayin'?"

"_Appears—to have—poor—short-term—memory,_" Umbridge said, writing more on her clipboard.

Lucy looked at Harry, who was doing his best to stay quiet.

"Oh, yeah," Hagrid said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one—" He patted what seemed to be thin air, but Lucy knew there must be a thestral standing there. "—name o' Tenebrus. He's my special favorite—firs' one born here in the forest—"

"Are you aware," Umbridge cut in, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as _dangerous_?"

Hagrid let out a little laugh. "Thestrals aren' dangerous!" he exclaimed. "All righ', they might take a bite outta yeh if yeh really annoy 'em—"

"_Shows—signs—of pleasure—at—idea—of violence,_" Umbridge said, writing on her clipboard.

"No—come on!" Hagrid said. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it—but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation, because o' the death thing—people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

"Hear, hear," Lucy mumbled under her breath.

"Please continue teaching as usual," Umbridge instructed, looking up from her clipboard and ignoring Hagrid's last statement. "I am going to walk—" She mimed walking. "—among the students—" She gestured at some of the members of the class. "—and ask them questions." She pointed at her own mouth.

Lucy looked at Hermione, whose eyes were glistening with angry tears. Umbridge moved over to a group of Slytherins.

"You hag! You evil hag!" Hermione hissed. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious—"

"'Mione," Lucy whispered, nudging her friend, who had been getting louder as she spoke.

"Erm—anyway," Hagrid said from the front of the class. "So—thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' 'em—"

"Do you find," Umbridge began in a loud voice, standing next to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

Pansy looked like she was about to die of laughter. "No—because," she said, trying not to laugh, "well—it sounds—like grunting a lot of the time—"

Umbridge wrote something else on her clipboard.

"Hagrid does not _grunt_!" Lucy finally burst out. "Maybe if you actually paid attention in class, you'd know that, Parkinson!"

Pansy narrowed her eyes at Lucy, but Umbridge didn't even look up.

Hagrid looked flustered. "Er—yeah—good stuff abou' thestrals," he tried to continue. "Well, once they're tamed—like this lot—yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazing senses o' direction—jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go—"

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," Malfoy added loudly.

Pansy let herself giggle out loud, and Umbridge smiled at the two Slytherins.

Then she moved on to Neville. "You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she asked him. Neville nodded, and she added, "Whom did you see die?"

"My—my granddad," Neville answered.

"What do you think of them?" Umbridge asked, gesturing to the dead cow that had been nearly eaten.

"Erm," Neville stuttered, glancing at Hagrid. "Well, they're—er—okay—"

"_Students—are—too intimidated—to admit—they—are—frightened,_" Umbridge said as she wrote on her clipboard.

"No!" Neville said. "No, I'm not scared of them—!"

"It's quite all right," Umbridge cut in. "Well, Hagrid," she continued, turning back to the professor, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with.… You will receive—" She mimed picking up something from thin air. "—the results of your inspection—" She pointed at her clipboard. "—in ten days' time." She held up all ten of her fingers. Then, smiling widely, she turned and left.

Malfoy, Pansy, and their friends were still giggling, while Lucy and Hermione looked and felt about ready to murder them.

**~LJ:NK~**

Half an hour later, when class was finished, they all trooped up the grounds away from Hagrid's hut. Lucy was seething with Hermione, while Jeremy, Harry, and Ron hurried to keep up with them.

"That foul, lying, twisted old gargoyle!" Hermione raged. "You see what she's up to?"

"It's her thing about half-breeds all over again," Lucy said, nodding. "She's trying to make it seem like Hagrid's some kind of dim-witted toll, just because his mother was a giantess."

"I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again—but thestrals are fine," Hermione continued. "In fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"

"Umbridge said they're dangerous," Ron pointed out.

"Well, it's like Hagrid said," Hermione replied. "They can look after themselves, and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to us before N.E.W.T. level. But they _are _very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them, and some can't! I wish I could."

"Do you?" Harry spoke up.

Hermione blanched. "Oh, Harry—I'm sorry," she said quickly. "No, of course I don't—that was a really stupid thing to say—"

"It's okay," Harry assured her. "Don't worry.…"

"I'm surprised so many people _could_ see them," Ron commented. "Three in a class—"

"Yeah, Weasley, we were just wondering something," a voice came from behind them. They all turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle approaching them, and Malfoy guffawed, "D'you reckon if you saw someone snuff it, you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"

"You know, I was going to ask you the same thing about the Snitch, Malfoy," Jeremy spoke up, surprising everyone.

Malfoy shot an annoyed look at Jeremy before stalking off towards the castle.

"Brilliant," Lucy said, grinning at Jeremy.

Hermione, meanwhile, had pulled her wand out and started blowing hot air to clear them a path through the snow towards the greenhouses.

"Thank you," Jeremy answered, pulling Lucy into a brief hug. "I'll see you later, okay?" He gave her a kiss before continuing up to the castle.

Lucy, feeling a bit better, turned and followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione across the snow-covered lawn.

**~LJ:NK~**

December brought even more snow to Hogwarts, and Christmas was fast approaching. Hermione and Ron were swamped with prefect duties, as they had to help decorate the castle and patrol the corridors. Harry was finally getting on top of his homework now that he was keeping his temper in check around Umbridge and no longer had Quidditch practices.

One day in early December, Ginny came up to Lucy and Hermione while they were finishing up some homework. "Mum's just sent an owl," she reported, plopping down into an empty chair. "She's invited both of you to our house for Christmas this year."

"I'm actually going on holiday with my parents this year," Hermione said. "I figured, since I didn't get to see them over the summer, I should spend some time with them for Christmas. Tell your mum thanks from me, though."

"No problem," Ginny said. "Where are you going with your parents?"

"We're going skiing," Hermione replied.

"You're what?" Ginny asked, sounding confused.

"Skiing," Hermione repeated.

Ginny looked over at Lucy, still unsure of what Hermione was talking about.

"Skiing is a Muggle thing," Lucy explained, "and it's essentially putting two long, thin planks of wood on your feet and riding on them down a hill."

"Oh," Ginny said. "I hope you have a good time, then."

"Thanks," Hermione answered.

"Well, I would love to spend time with your family," Lucy said, smiling at Ginny. "Is Harry invited, too?"

"Yeah," Ginny said. "I told Ron to ask Harry."

The fact that Lucy would be spending Christmas at the Burrow with the Weasleys brightened the rest of the term for her.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few days later, Lucy was sitting with Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the common room when the topic of Christmas was brought up again.

"Where are you going for holidays again, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I'm going skiing with my parents," Hermione answered. "It's going to be a lovely break from school."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ron groaned. "It'll be so nice to be away from here for a while."

"So, how are you getting home, then?" Harry asked.

Lucy frowned at him. "Are you not coming, too?" she asked.

"Not that I know of," Harry said slowly.

"But you _are_ coming, too!" Ron exclaimed. "Didn't I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you _ages_ ago!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, and Lucy sighed, "Good one, Ron."

**~LJ:NK~**

There was one last D.A. meeting before the holidays began, and Lucy decided to accompany Harry to the Room of Requirement early. They entered the room to find it full of Christmas decorations.

"What is all this?" Lucy asked, looking around in awe.

There were about a hundred golden ornaments hanging from the ceiling. Harry went up to the nearest one and examined it. He groaned.

"What's wrong?" Lucy was quick to ask.

"My face is on these," Harry muttered, flushing slightly. "Dobby must have decorated the place up. Who else would hang baubles with my face on them?"

"The Creevey brothers," Lucy replied jokingly.

Harry chuckled. "Will you help me take them down?" he asked. "The rest of it can stay up, but I don't want a hundred pictures of my face hanging from the ceiling.…"

A large box appeared, thanks to the room, and Lucy and Harry began to pull the ornaments from the ceiling and throw them into the box.

They had just finished when Luna Lovegood entered the room. "Hello," she said, looking around at the decorations. "These are nice. Did you put them up?"

"No," Harry answered, "it was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," Luna commented, gesturing to the plant hanging just above Harry's head. Harry quickly stepped out from underneath it, and Luna added, "Good thinking. It's often infested with nargles."

Lucy and Harry exchanged a confused glance, but before either of them could say anything, the door opened again. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia stomped into the room, their cheeks red from the cold.

"Well, we've replaced you," Angelina said to Harry, pulling off her cloak.

"Replaced me?" Harry echoed.

"You and Fred and George," she clarified. "We've got another Seeker!"

"Who?" Harry asked at once.

"Ginny Weasley," Katie answered.

"Good for her!" Lucy exclaimed, smiling.

Harry looked surprised.

"Yeah, I know," Angelina said to him, "but she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on _you_, of course, but as we can't have _you_…" She trailed off, giving him a hard look, and Harry turned away from her.

"What about the Beaters?" he asked.

"Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper," Alicia replied. "Neither of them are brilliant, but compared with the rest of the idiots who turned up…"

The door to the room opened again, signaling the arrival of Hermione, Neville, and Ron. Harry moved away from the Gryffindor Chasers to greet his friends.

The rest of the D.A. arrived within the next few minutes, and soon Harry was calling for their attention.

"Okay," he started. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays. There's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break—"

"We're not doing anything new?" Zacharias interrupted. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come—"

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," Fred said.

Lucy snorted, and some of the other members giggled, as well.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry continued. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes. Then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

Lucy and Jeremy paired off, as usual, sharing a quick peck on the lips before stepping back from each other with their wands at the ready. For the next ten minutes, they took turns practicing the spell, which would freeze an attacker for about a minute.

Next, Harry had them practicing Stunning. Neville joined Lucy and Jeremy, so Harry could walk amongst the others.

"C'mon, Neville," Lucy said, standing opposite her fellow Gryffindor. "Give me all you got."

Neville took a deep breath. "_Stupefy_!" he shouted.

The spell hit Lucy in the chest, and she fell backwards onto some of the cushions. She struggled to stand again, but when she got to her feet, she smiled broadly at Neville. "That was excellent, Nev!" she exclaimed, hurrying across the room and throwing her arms around him.

Neville looked flustered but thanked her.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of the hour, Harry called everyone's attention back to him.

"You're getting really good," he said to them, a genuine smile on his face. "When we get back from the holidays, we can start doing some of the big stuff—maybe even Patronuses."

There were murmurs of happy agreement around the room.

"So, great work, everyone," Harry finished. "Have a Happy Christmas."

The students began to leave the room in small groups, wishing Harry and each other Merry Christmas as they went.

"Lucy," Jeremy said, grinning at her. He pointed above her head and said, "Mistletoe."

Lucy rolled her eyes and pulled him close to her by the front of his robes. The kiss, as all their kisses were lately, was full of longing. It did, however, remain fairly brief; they were both aware that there were other people still in the room with them. Jeremy pulled away and grinned at Lucy before turning and following Mary, Daphne, and Jake from the room.

Soon, Lucy, Ron, and Hermione were left with Harry, Cho Chang, and Cho's friend Marietta. Lucy and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance.

"We're going to head back to the common room, Harry," Lucy said.

"Yes, we'll see you later," Hermione agreed.

Lucy and Hermione tugged on the sleeves on Ron's robes to get his attention. He protested for a moment, but at the girls' insistence, he followed them out into the corridor.

"I don't know why we couldn't wait for Harry," Ron mumbled as they set off for the Gryffindor common room.

"We just thought he might like a private moment with Cho," Lucy said evenly.

"Why?" Ron asked blankly.

"Oh, don't by so thick, Ron," Hermione said.

They reached the portrait and gave the Fat Lady the password. After they climbed into the common room, the three of them gathered something to occupy their time and sat in front of the fireplace to wait for Harry to get back.

**~LJ:NK~**

Half an hour later, Harry stumbled in through the portrait hole. He walked directly over to his friends and sat down in an armchair. Lucy and Hermione were sitting on the sofa, and Ron was sprawled out on his stomach on the floor.

"What's kept you?" Ron asked, looking up from his Transfiguration homework.

Harry seemed either unable or unwilling to talk.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione questioned after a moment of silence.

Harry shrugged.

"What's up?" Ron demanded, pushing himself up to see his friend. "What's happened?"

Harry remained quiet, to the slight annoyance of his friends.

"Is it Cho?" Lucy burst out.

"Did she corner you after the meeting?" Hermione added.

Harry nodded, looking slightly embarrassed

Ron let out a chuckle that he stifled when Lucy and Hermione glared at him. "So—er—what did she want?" he asked instead.

Harry began in a rough voice, "She—" He cleared his throat. "She—er—"

"Did you kiss?" Lucy asked eagerly, bouncing slightly on the couch cushion.

Ron immediately flew into a sitting position, knocking his bottle of ink over in the process. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

Harry looked at all three of them in turn before nodding.

"HA!" Ron shouted, falling into a fit of laughter that had some other Gryffindors nearby looking at him in concern.

Lucy squealed, jumped up, and threw her arms around her brother. "I'm so happy for you!" she practically shouted in his ear. "I _knew_ something was going to happen between the two of you eventually!"

A small smile broke out on Harry's face.

"Well? How was it?" Ron asked as his breathing returned to normal.

There was a pause.

"Wet," Harry replied.

"Wet?" Lucy echoed.

"Well, she was crying," Harry added.

"Oh," Ron said. "Are you that bad at snogging?"

"Dunno," Harry answered. "Maybe I am."

"Of course you're not," Hermione spoke up, still bent over her parchment.

"How do you know?" Ron said, sounding accusatory.

"Cho spends half her time crying these days," Hermione answered. "She does it at mealtimes, in the loos… all over the place, really."

"You'd think a bit of snogging would cheer her up," Ron quipped.

"Ron," Lucy scolded.

"You are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet," Hermione said disgustedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked. "What sort of person cries while someone's snogging them?"

"Yeah, who does?" Harry asked, sounding worried.

"Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" Hermione said, sitting up straight and putting her quill down.

"Of course they don't," Lucy answered for the boys as they both shook their heads.

"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying," Hermione began. "Then I expect she's feeling confused, because she liked Cedric but now likes Harry. She's probably having trouble working out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be snogging Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. She probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died—so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, because she's been flying so badly."

Lucy stifled a laughed at the astonished looks on Ron's and Harry's faces.

"One person can't feel all that at once," Ron insisted. "They'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," Hermione said.

"She was the one who started it," Harry said defensively. "I wouldn't've—she just sort of came at me—and next thing, she's crying all over me—I didn't know what to do—"

"Don't blame you, mate," Ron said, both his eyebrows raised.

"You just had to be nice to her," Lucy said, shrugging. "You were, weren't you?"

"Well," Harry said, flushing, "I sort of—patted her on the back a bit."

Lucy sighed. "Well, I suppose it could have been worse," she said. "Are you going to see her again?"

"I'll have to, won't I?" Harry pointed out. "We've got D.A. meetings, haven't we?"

"You know what I _mean_," Lucy said, rolling her eyes.

There was silence as Harry soaked up these words.

"Oh, well," Hermione finally said, breaking the silence, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her—"

"What if he doesn't _want_ to ask her?" Ron asked.

"Oh, come on. Harry's fancied her for the longest time—haven't you, Harry?" Lucy said.

Ron looked doubtful, and Harry gazed into the fire, avoiding Ron's eyes.

"Who're you writing the _novel_ to, anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, changing the subject.

"Viktor," Hermione answered simply.

"_Krum_?" Ron asked.

"How many other Viktors do we know?" Hermione asked impatiently.

Ron, looking a bit upset, returned to his Transfiguration work as Hermione finished up her letter.

"In all seriousness, are you okay, Harry?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, still staring into the fire, and Lucy decided to leave the matter alone for the time being.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione rolled up the parchment that her letter was written on and stood from the couch. "I'm off to bed," she announced. "Night, Harry, Ron. Lucy, are you coming?"

"I'm right behind you," Lucy answered. "Night, boys." She got up from the couch, as well, and followed Hermione from the common room and up the girls' staircase.

"Well, this was certainly an interesting night," Lucy commented as the girls climbed up the stairs of the tower.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Harry was a bit hopeless, though, wasn't he?"

"Don't be too hard on him," Lucy said. "He's never had a girlfriend before. I don't blame him for not knowing what to do about a crying Cho throwing herself at him."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Hermione added.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: The skating scene is one of my favorites. Jeremy was based on a character in an original fiction of mine from way back in the day. His name was John (hence why Jeremy's name used to be John), and he was a hockey player. I thought this was an excellent way to provide some more background for Jeremy's character and to show him and Lucy bonding.**_

_**The part where Jeremy uses his wand to create an ice-blade on his and Lucy's shoes was inspired by Bobby in X-Men 3 (the movie) using his power to give himself ice skates when he and Kitty go skating.**_


	19. 19: The Long Night

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 19 – The Long Night**

Lucy felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes when she was roused. She quickly sat up, startled, before realizing that Professor McGonagall was standing next to her bed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss Jones, but I must ask you to come with me," the professor stated quietly.

"What's happened?" Lucy asked immediately, feeling frozen in place.

"I will explain in a moment," Professor McGonagall replied sternly. "I really must ask you to follow me."

Lucy slipped out of her bed and shoved her feet into her sneakers before following Professor McGonagall out of her dormitory. When they reached the common room, Lucy found Fred, George, and Ginny standing in the middle of the room, looking bewildered and only half-awake.

"Come along," Professor McGonagall said simply, striding to the portrait hole.

The four students clamored after her.

"Professor, where are we going?" Fred asked as they hurried down the hall.

"Yeah, what's going on?" George chimed in.

"We are going to Professor Dumbledore's office," Professor McGonagall answered. "It seems that Potter saw your father being injured tonight."

"WHAT!?" Fred and George yelped, while Ginny let out a little squeak. Lucy also gasped, her heart rate increasing. _Mr. Weasley had been hurt?_

"What does that _mean_?" George demanded, but Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"You'll have to wait until we get to Professor Dumbledore's office," she stated simply. "He will be able to explain everything."

They walked in silence the rest of the way, and when they reached a gargoyle at the end of a corridor, Professor McGonagall gave a password. The gargoyle jumped aside, and the wall behind it disappeared, revealing a set of spiral stairs that were slowly moving upward. Professor McGonagall led the four Gryffindors onto the stairs, and soon they were at the door to Dumbledore's office.

Professor McGonagall pushed the door open, and Lucy, Fred, George, and Ginny filed inside. There they found Harry and Ron sitting in chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore was standing in front of one of the portraits hanging behind his chair. Harry and Ron hurriedly got to their feet.

"Harry!" Lucy exclaimed, running to her brother and throwing her arms around him.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked as she and the twins joined Lucy, Harry, and Ron in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt—"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore spoke up, and they all looked at him. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" Fred asked. "Floo Powder?"

"No," Dumbledore answered, "Floo Powder is not safe at the moment. The network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He pointed to a kettle that was sitting on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back.… I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you—"

Suddenly, there was a flash of light in front of Dumbledore. It lasted only for a second, and then there was a golden feather floating to the floor. Dumbledore reached out and caught it.

"It is Fawkes's warning," Dumbledore explained. "She must know you're out of your beds.… Minerva, go and head her off—tell her any story—"

Professor McGonagall was gone in an instant.

"He says he'll be delighted," a strange voice said, and Lucy looked around to see a figure entering a portrait behind Dumbledore. "My great-great-grandson has always had odd taste in houseguests…" the man in the painting muttered, his eyes sweeping over the students gathered in the office.

"Come here, then," Dumbledore instructed to Lucy, Harry, and the Weasleys. "Quickly—before anyone else joins us.…"

Lucy stepped up to Dumbledore's desk with the others. Dumbledore turned his head and met Lucy's gaze, and Lucy immediately understood that he wanted her to keep an eye on Harry. She dipped her head.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" Dumbledore asked, looking down at the kettle.

The six students nodded, and each put a finger on the Portkey.

"Good," Dumbledore said. "On the count of three then.… One—two—_three_."

Lucy felt as though she were being pulled off the ground. Her finger was stuck to the Portkey, and she could feel Harry's and George's shoulders banging into hers.

Then, just as suddenly, they were slamming onto a stone floor. All six of them fell over.

"Back again, the blood traitor brats," a voice croaked nearby. "Is it true their father's dying—?"

"OUT!" another loud voice shouted, and Lucy looked up to see her godfather hurrying over to them as Kreacher slumped out of the room. "What's going on?" Sirius asked, hauling Lucy to her feet. Then he extended a hand to pull Ginny up, as well, as the boys picked themselves up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured—"

"Ask Harry," Fred said.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," George added.

Harry, looking anxious, began, "It was—I had a—a kind of vision.…" Then he went on to tell them how he'd seen a giant snake attack Mr. Weasley.

Lucy put one of her hands to her mouth as Harry finished his story. There was a moment of silence while Fred, George, and Ginny stared at him.

"Is Mum here?" Fred asked eventually, looking over at Sirius.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," Sirius said. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," Ginny spoke up, looking around at the others. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything—?"

"Hang on! You can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" Sirius exclaimed.

"'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," Fred said hotly. "He's our _dad_!"

"So how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?" Sirius asked.

"What does it matter?" George shot back.

"It _matters_, because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" Sirius replied. "Have you _any_ _idea_ what the Ministry would make of that information?"

There was a beat of silence while Fred and George glowered at Sirius.

"Somebody else could have told us…" Ginny said weakly. "We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry.…"

"Like _who_?" Sirius asked impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order, and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened. You could seriously damage the Order's—"

"We don't care about the damn Order!" Fred cried.

"This is our dad _dying_ we're talking about!" George added angrily.

"Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" Sirius said. "This is how it is—this is why you're not in the Order—you don't understand—there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" Fred yelled. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

"SHUT UP!" Lucy shouted at him. She was livid, and she could feel her hands shaking. She clenched them into fists as Fred and George rounded on her. "Just shut the hell up! Sirius is right, and you know it."

"This is our _dad_ we're talking about," Fred said.

"You don't understand," George added roughly.

That stung Lucy a bit. "No, you're right. I don't," she replied. "I don't understand, because _my_ father was fucking _murdered_ when I was a year old, and my adoptive dad is across the ocean in another country. But if you think we don't give a _damn_ about your dad being injured, then you really don't know us very well." She crossed the room to stand next to Sirius and folded her arms over her chest.

Sirius took a shaky breath before speaking again. "I know it's hard," he said, "but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?" One by one, the Weasleys took a seat at the kitchen table, and Sirius said, "That's right. Come on—let's all—let's all have a drink while we're waiting. _Accio Butterbeer!_"

Four butterbeers slid across the table to each of the Weasleys, and three other ones flew through the air to Lucy, Harry, and Sirius. Harry took his bottle and sat down at the table next to Ron.

"Lucy, come over here," Sirius murmured.

Lucy followed her godfather to the other side of the room, where she sunk down onto a stool.

Sirius immediately asked, "Are you all right?"

"No," Lucy replied, holding her butterbeer limply in her hand. "I can't believe Fred would say that to you. He knows why you're here and not out _risking your neck_. He knows that you would give anything to leave this house and help out."

"I'm not surprised," Sirius said. "They're worried about their father; it's only natural."

"It just proves to you and the others that we're too young," Lucy said. "This is _war_ we're talking about. People are bound to get hurt. The fact that they want to just rush off to the hospital without worrying about how suspicious it would look shows that we're not ready for this."

"I don't think anyone's ever _ready_ for war," Sirius pointed out.

Lucy looked over at the Weasleys, who were sitting silently with their butterbeer bottles in hand. "I know you said that there are things worth dying for," she murmured to her godfather, "and I believe that. It's just hard, because we don't know what Mr. Weasley was doing; all we know is that he was doing something for the Order."

"Is that not enough?" Sirius asked.

"No!" Lucy said, although she chuckled when she said it. "When the people you love are risking their lives, it's nice to have an idea of what they're doing—"

Suddenly, there was a burst of flame, just like when Lucy and the others had been back in Dumbledore's office. Sirius jumped up and hurried over to the table, Lucy hot on his heels. A scroll fell to the table, accompanied by a golden feather.

"Fawkes!" Sirius exclaimed. He grabbed the scroll and examined it quickly. "That's not Dumbledore's writing—it must be a message from your mother—here—" He passed the scroll to George, who was nearest.

George tore it open and read it to the others.

_Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum._

"Still alive…" George said, looking up from the parchment, "but that makes it sound…"

Lucy put a comforting hand on George's shoulder, but nobody said anything else.

After a few minutes, Sirius suggested, "Maybe we should all go up and get some sleep."

All four Weasleys glared at him, seemingly appalled that he would even think it was okay to go to sleep. Lucy glanced at Harry, who was refusing to look at anyone.

Lucy and Sirius again retreated from the Weasleys, leaving them to their own thoughts. Lucy dropped down onto her stool, and Sirius leaned against the wall.

"So, how's Harry doing?" Sirius asked in a low voice.

"He's okay," Lucy answered. She took a swig of butterbeer before continuing, "Ever since we formed the D.A., he's been a bit happier."

"The D.A.?" Sirius repeated.

"That undercover defense group we told you about," Lucy said. "Dumbledore's Army."

Sirius let out a chuckle. "Whose idea was that?" he asked.

"Ginny's," Lucy responded, looking over at the youngest Weasley, who had her feet pulled up under herself in her chair and was staring into the low light of the fire. Lucy turned back to her godfather and asked, "What's going to happen if Mr. Weasley doesn't get better?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted.

They were silent for a while after that, watching the Weasleys. Lucy felt exhausted, but she couldn't imagine what Harry was thinking. He had watched the attack happen, after all.

"Sirius," Lucy whispered. "How could Harry have _seen_ Mr. Weasley attacked?"

"Dumbledore has a few theories," Sirius answered. "Remember the dream Harry had last year? Where he saw Voldemort talking with Wormtail?"

"Before school started, you mean," Lucy said, nodding. "Yeah, I remember."

"Dumbledore thinks there could be some connection between Harry and Voldemort because of the scar," Sirius explained quietly. "He thinks that Harry might be able to have visions about Voldemort because of that connection."

"That must be awful," Lucy said, frowning.

Sirius nodded his agreement.

**~LJ:NK~**

Not much else was said for the next few hours. Lucy simply watched the Weasleys and Harry. Every once in a while, one of the Weasleys would speak up, wondering what time it was or what was happening at the hospital.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the kitchen door opened. Mrs. Weasley entered the room, looking extremely tired. Lucy sat up straight, and saw Fred, George, and Harry all do the same.

A small smile formed on Mrs. Weasley's lips. "He's going to be all right," she informed them. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now; he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred collapsed back into his chair, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. George and Ginny jumped up and ran to their mother, hugging her. Ron let out a relieved laugh before chugging the rest of his butterbeer.

"Breakfast!" Sirius announced, grabbing Lucy by the elbow and steering her towards the stove. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"

A few seconds went by, but the elf didn't show up.

Sirius grumbled, "Oh, forget it, then. So, it's breakfast for—let's see—eight.… Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea and toast—"

Lucy set straight to work on preparing tea, while Sirius got ready to cook the food. Harry hurried over to help them, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry," she sniffed. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late. Thanks to you, he's alive, and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was. You've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise—look at poor Sturgis.…" She let go of Harry, giving him a watery smile, before turning to Sirius. "Thank you so much for letting the children stay here," she said.

"Oh, it was my pleasure," Sirius replied, dropping the bacon strips into a pan. "Anything to help. You're all welcome to stay here as long as Arthur's in the hospital, as well."

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful," Mrs. Weasley said, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "They think he'll be there a little while, and it would be wonderful to be nearer.… Of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas.…"

"The more, the merrier!" Sirius assured her, grinning widely.

Mrs. Weasley smiled back, and then she picked up an extra apron and began to help with the breakfast.

"Sirius," Harry said, walking over to his godfather. "Can I have a quick word? Er—_now?_"

Lucy looked over at them as Sirius agreed. The two of them disappeared into the pantry.

"Oh, Lucy dear, thank you so much for being here, too," Mrs. Weasley said to Lucy, who was just finishing with the tea. "You can sit down with the others if you'd like. I can finish over here by myself."

"Okay, Mrs. Weasley," Lucy replied gently, not wanting to argue with the woman who had just been through a terrible ordeal. She picked up a stack of plates and carried them over to the table, making up eight places. Then she brought the tea over, which the Weasley children helped themselves to.

A few minutes later, Harry and Sirius rejoined them. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius laid the food out along the table, and they all had a rather hearty breakfast.

**~LJ:NK~**

As they were finishing up, George asked his mother if they could go to the hospital to see Mr. Weasley.

"I want you all to go upstairs and get some sleep," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "We can visit your father after lunch, but I _know_ you stayed up all night. You need the rest."

Nobody argued, and Lucy followed Ginny up the stairs to the bedroom they had shared during the summer.

"Are you feeling all right, Gin?" Lucy asked as they slipped under the covers of their beds.

"I was so scared," Ginny replied in a small voice. "I don't think I'll be fully okay until I can see Dad for myself."

"Well, get some rest," Lucy said soothingly. "The faster you go to sleep, the faster lunch will come."

"Thank you," Ginny yawned.

"Sleep well," Lucy said. Then she turned onto her side and fell fast asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy and Ginny woke up just before noon, and they both hurried downstairs to see if anyone else was awake. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen, both looking a bit refreshed.

"Your trunks arrived from Hogwarts a few minutes ago," Mrs. Weasley informed the girls, pointing to the pile of trunks on the floor.

There was a loud meow, and Lucy looked down to see Evie rubbing against her legs. "Evie!" Lucy exclaimed, scooping her cat up into her arms. She nuzzled her face into the cat's fur. Evie let out another meow before squirming about. Lucy let Evie climb onto her shoulders, and she could feel the cat's purrs against the back of her head.

Sirius and Mrs. Weasley helped to levitate everyone's trunks to their respectful bedrooms, and Lucy and Ginny changed into some comfortable Muggle clothing. Then they all went back to the kitchen and had a quick lunch.

Moody and Tonks showed up as they were finishing their meal. They were bickering over Tonks's pink hair, which Moody thought would bring them too much attention in Muggle London. The Weasley kids and Lucy hurried to assure Moody that Tonks would be fine.

When they were finished with lunch, they bid good-bye to Sirius and started the journey to St. Mungo's. Lucy walked between Fred and George, who were looking much happier now that they knew their father was going to be all right. Tonks led the way, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Harry, Ron, and Moody brought up the rear.

Finally, they came to an old department store. In the window, there was nothing but a mannequin showing off a green dress. The sign on the door read _CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT_.

"It's _never_ open, that place…" a Muggle woman said to her friend as they walked by.

"Right," Tonks said, motioning for the rest of them to join her right next to the window. They all stepped up, and Tonks leaned so close to the glass that her breath left a foggy spot on it. "Wotcher—we're here to see Arthur Weasley," she said to the mannequin.

There was a moment where nothing happened. Then the mannequin gave them a nod and crooked its finger at them, motioning for them to come forward. Tonks took hold of Mrs. Weasley's and Ginny's elbows and stepped right through the glass.

"Wow," Lucy breathed before she felt Fred and George grab each of her arms and pull her forward.

Lucy shivered as she walked through the glass; it felt like walking through a cold stream of water. When they emerged on the other side, however, she was warm and dry.

Lucy glanced around the room they were now in. There were dozens of chairs, many of them occupied. A lot of the witches and wizards in the chairs were making strange noises. Other witches and wizards, who were wearing bright green robes, bustled around the room and made notes on their clipboards.

"Are they doctors?" Lucy heard Harry ask from behind her.

"Doctors?" Ron repeated. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."

"Over here!" Mrs. Weasley called, herding the group together.

She led them to a desk with a sign that read _INQUIRIES_. There were a few other people ahead of them in line, so they waited patiently.

"It's these—ouch—shoes my brother gave me—ow," the wizard at the front of the line was saying to the witch at the desk. "They're eating my—OUCH—feet—look at them—there must be some kind of—AARGH—jinx on them, and I can't—AAAAARGH—get them off—"

"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" the witch asked in an annoyed voice. She pointed to something next to her desk that Lucy couldn't see. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!"

The wizard awkwardly walked away, and the line moved forward. The sign the witch had pointed to came into view, and Lucy looked at it in interest.

_Artifact Accidents…Ground Floor  
(Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.)_

_Creature-Induced Injuries…First Floor  
(Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.)_

_Magical Bugs…Second Floor  
(Contagious maladies, e.g., dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)_

_Potions and Plant Poisoning…Third Floor  
(Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.)_

_Spell Damage…Fourth Floor  
(Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc.)_

_Visitors' Tearoom and Hospital Shop…Fifth Floor_

_If you are unsure where to go, incapable of normal speech, or unable to remember why you are here, our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help._

"Ha," Lucy muttered. "_Our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help_, my ass."

At the front of the line, an old man had hobbled forward and stated, "I'm here to see Broderick Bode!"

"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," the Welcome Witch said, her tone bored. "He's completely addled, you know; still thinks he's a teapot.… Next!"

The next person in line was a man who was holding a young girl by the ankle as she flew around his head. A pair of wings were poking out of the little girl's back.

"Fourth floor," the Welcome Witch said before the man could say anything. "Next!"

Mrs. Weasley stepped up to the desk. "Hello," she said to the witch. "My husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning. Could you tell us—?"

"Arthur Weasley?" the witch interrupted, checking a list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right—Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Thank you," Mrs. Weasley said. "Come on, you lot."

The six kids hurried to follow Mrs. Weasley, with Tonks and Moody close behind them. They walked down a corridor lined with portraits of famous Healers until they came to a set of stairs. They went up one floor and down the hall to the second door on the right, which had a sign that read _"DANGEROUS" DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES_.

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks announced before they could go further. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once.… It ought to be just the family first."

Moody nodded his agreement, leaning against the opposite wall. Lucy and Harry also stepped away from the door, but Mrs. Weasley grabbed Lucy by the arm and pushed her into the ward behind Ginny.

"You know Arthur thinks of you like a second daughter," Mrs. Weasley said. Then Lucy heard her say, "Don't be silly, Harry. Arthur wants to thank you.…"

The room was rather small and dark, and there were only three patients inside. Mr. Weasley was at the end of the ward, sitting up in his bed and reading the _Daily Prophet_.

He looked up from the paper when he heard their footsteps. "Hello!" he said happily, tossing the _Prophet_ onto the bed. "Bill just left, Molly—had to get back to work—but he says he'll drop in on you later.…"

"How are you, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked, kissing her husband on the cheek. "You're still looking a bit peaky—"

"I feel absolutely fine," Mr. Weasley replied. He reached out with his good arm to hug Ginny. "If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home."

"Why can't they take them off, Dad?" Fred asked as they crowded around the bed.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try," Mr. Weasley answered, sounding unconcerned. He picked up his wand and waved it. Seven chairs appeared around the bed, and the six kids and Mrs. Weasley took a seat.

Once everyone was sitting, Mr. Weasley explained further, "It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though. They say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime, I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour.

"Now, that fellow over _there_." Mr. Weasley quickly lowered his voice as he pointed out one of the other patients in the room. "Bitten by a _werewolf_, poor chap. No cure at all."

"A werewolf?" Mrs. Weasley echoed, her eyes widening. "Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?"

"It's two weeks 'til the full moon," Mr. Weasley said. "They've been talking to him this morning—the Healers, you know—trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him—didn't mention names, of course—but I said I knew a werewolf personally who finds the condition quite easy to manage.…"

"What did he say to that?" George asked.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head. "As for that woman over _there, _she won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg—_very_ nasty smell when they take off the dressings."

"So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?" Fred asked, scooting closer to his father's bed.

"Well, you already know, don't you?" Mr. Weasley replied, smiling over at Harry. "It's very simple—I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on, and was bitten."

"Is it in the _Prophet_, you being attacked?" Fred pressed.

"No, of course not," Mr. Weasley said. "The Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got—"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley cut in swiftly.

"—got—er—me," Mr. Weasley quickly finished, although Lucy was sure he had wanted to say something else. He picked up the _Daily Prophet_ and said, "I was just reading about Willy Widdershins's arrest when you arrived. Did you know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets last summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded, and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage covered from head to foot in—"

"When you say you were _on duty_," Fred said impatiently, "what were you doing?"

"You heard your father," Mrs. Weasley hissed. "We are _not_ discussing this here! Go on about Willy Widdershins, Arthur—"

"Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off on the toilet charge," Mr. Weasley continued. "I can only suppose gold changed hands—"

"You were guarding it, weren't you?" George interrupted. "The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who's after?"

"George, be _quiet_!" Mrs. Weasley admonished angrily.

"Anyway," Mr. Weasley continued, raising his voice, "this time Willy's been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles. I don't think he'll be able to worm his way out of it this time, because according to the article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St. Mungo's for emergency bone regrowth and memory modification. But just think of it—Muggles in St. Mungo's! I wonder which ward they're in?"

"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?" Fred asked, turning to Harry. "A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?"

"_That's_ _enough_," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur. They want to come and see you. You lot can wait _outside_," she added, turning to her children. "You can come and say good-bye afterward. Go on.…"

The four Weasleys, Lucy, and Harry rose from their chairs and went back out into the corridor. Moody and Tonks went into the ward, shutting the door firmly behind them.

"Fine," Fred muttered, "be like that. Don't tell us anything." He began searching through his pockets.

"Looking for these?" George asked. In his hand were a bunch of Extendable Ears, and he was grinning widely.

"You read my mind," Fred replied. "Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"

He helped George to untangle the Extendable Ears, and they passed out one to each of the others. Only Harry hesitated to grab one.

"Go on, Harry. Take it!" George demanded. "You saved Dad's life. If anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you.…"

Harry smiled briefly and took the last ear.

"Okay, go!" Fred said quietly.

The six of them pushed the ends of the ears under the door and waited to see if they could hear anything. A few seconds later, they picked up the adults' conversation.

"—they searched the whole area, but they couldn't find the snake anywhere," Tonks was saying. "It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur.… But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," Moody said, "'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing, and if Arthur hadn't been there, the beast would've had much more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley answered. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this—"

"Yeah, well," Moody said, "there's something funny about the Potter kid. We all know that."

Lucy frowned.

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning," Mrs. Weasley said in a hushed voice.

"'Course he's worried," Moody scoffed. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake.… Obviously, Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him—"

Lucy whipped her head around to look at Harry, who had removed the Extendable Ear from his own ear. He stared around at the others, speechless, and Lucy could see the fear in his eyes.

_It can't be true,_ Lucy thought. _There's no way You-Know-Who is possessing Harry… is there?_

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I love the interaction between Lucy and Sirius in this chapter. I seriously considered having Sirius survive at the end of this story, just so he, Lucy, and Harry could be a family after everything.**_


	20. 20: Christmas at Grimmauld Place

_**A/N: A great, big, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and my husband!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 20 – Christmas at Grimmauld Place**

The ride home from the hospital was tense. Unlike the Weasley kids, who didn't seem to want to look at Harry, Lucy couldn't take her eyes off him. Mrs. Weasley asked him how he was feeling a few times, but he brushed her off.

When they reached Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Weasley sent Harry straight up to bed. Harry gladly trooped up the stairs, leaving the rest of them standing in the hallway. Mrs. Weasley was busy whispering with Tonks and Moody, so Lucy slipped down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Sirius?" she called as she entered the room, but there was no sign of her godfather. She sighed and sat down at the table.

"Lucy," a voice said after a few minutes. Lucy looked up to see Ginny and Ron entering the room.

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked as the two red-heads sat down next to Lucy.

"I'm worried about Harry," Lucy confessed. "Do you think You-Know-Who could really be possessing him?"

"I'm not sure," Ginny said. "We could ask him about how he feels."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if you remember," Ginny said, "but I spent quite a bit of time being possessed my first year. I know what it feels like."

Lucy and Ron exchanged a glance; Lucy had to admit, she'd forgotten all about Ginny's experience with being possessed. "I need to talk to Sirius," Lucy said. "We need to tell him what we overheard."

"What if he tells Mum?" Ron asked, looking worried. "If she knows that Fred and George have more Extendable Ears, she's going to go ballistic."

"I don't think Sirius would tell her," Lucy said. "Besides, we don't have to tell him that we used Extendable Ears."

"Let's go find Sirius, then," Ginny said, standing up.

The three of them headed up the stairs and started searching. They finally found Sirius in Buckbeak's room.

"Oh, welcome back," he said as the kids entered the room. "I didn't hear you return."

"That's probably because we didn't wake your mother's portrait," Ginny pointed out.

"We have something we need to tell you," Lucy began. "We overheard Moody, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking in the hospital. They say that Harry might be possessed by You-Know-Who."

Sirius sighed. "You kids really have a knack for hearing things you're not supposed to," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Dumbledore has all kinds of theories, though."

"But what do _you_ think?" Lucy pressed.

"I don't know," Sirius said. "Harry seems to be like himself, but that doesn't mean he's _not_ being possessed. There are just too many things that are up in the air right now."

"But wouldn't You-Know-Who need some kind of connection to Harry to be able to possess him?" Ginny pointed out. "When I was possessed, it was because of that diary. I carried it with me everywhere, and that made it easy for his memory or whatever it was to take over me."

"Theoretically, yes," Sirius said. "However, as Dumbledore has pointed out—Harry's scar could be giving him a unique connection to Voldemort. He's been having these dreams for a while, and his scar hurts him whenever Voldemort is feeling a strong emotion."

"I feel like it would be the other way around…" Lucy said thoughtfully. "Like Harry's possessing You-Know-Who. He's essentially having these dreams from You-Know-Who's point of view, right?"

"If you operate under the assumption that Voldemort doesn't realize that Harry's been having these dreams, I guess you could argue that," Sirius said, rubbing his chin. "I really don't know what to think; I don't think any of us do, apart from maybe Dumbledore. You three and Hermione need to stick close to Harry, all right? Don't let him feel isolated."

Lucy, Ron, and Ginny nodded.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few hours later, Lucy joined the rest of the Weasleys and Sirius in the kitchen for dinner. The only person who was missing was Harry.

"Ron, could you go upstairs and see if Harry's awake, please?" Mrs. Weasley asked her youngest son. "Tell him that dinner's ready if he wants it."

Ron obediently left the room. He returned a couple of minutes later, shaking his head. "I think he might still be sleeping," he reported.

Mrs. Weasley frowned but didn't say anything else. She finished ladling out the stew and sat down. Everyone quietly dug into their meals.

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened. Lucy quickly turned to see Professor Dumbledore in the doorway.

"I apologize for bursting in on your dinner," he said.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said, jumping out of her chair. "Would you like some stew? It's still hot."

"No, thank you, Molly," Dumbledore replied. "I merely wanted to pass on a message. I informed Miss Granger this morning of Mr. Weasley's injury, and she will be joining you soon. Unfortunately, she will have to wait until term officially ends tomorrow, and take the train into London."

"Thank you, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said. "Are you sure you won't have something to eat?"

Dumbledore shook his head, said his farewells, and left the kitchen again.

"Does he do that a lot?" Lucy asked Sirius. "Does he just pop in for a few minutes to give you messages?"

"Well, it's safer than using Floo or an owl," Sirius said.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Lucy and the others decided to hang up some Christmas decorations, since they would all be staying at Grimmauld Place through the holidays. Sirius seemed particularly chipper, loudly singing Christmas carols as he went up and down the stairs.

Yet with all the fun they were having decorating the house for Christmas, Lucy couldn't help but continue worrying about Harry. He hadn't come down for breakfast or lunch, and nobody had seen him all day.

Just before dinner, the doorbell to the house rang, setting off Mrs. Black's portrait. Hermione had arrived, her cheeks pink and her hair full of snow. Lucy, Ginny, and Ron escorted her to the kitchen while Sirius attempted to close the curtains around his mother's portrait.

"How is he?" Hermione asked.

The other three quickly launched into what they had overheard at the hospital.

"We just need to talk to him, but he won't let us near him," Ginny finished. "He's been hiding out upstairs ever since we got back."

"He hasn't eaten, either," Lucy added.

"Oh, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley had appeared, beaming at Hermione. "How lovely to see you, dear! Are you sure your parents don't mind you staying with us for Christmas?"

"They're all right with it," Hermione replied, smiling back.

"Well, I just lit a fire in your bedroom, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm going to send up some sandwiches for Harry, as well.… Do you think you could get him to come out and eat?"

"We'll try, Mrs. Weasley," Lucy said determinedly. She turned to her friends. "'Mione, you'll have to go get Harry out of his hiding place, since he doesn't even know that you've arrived. We'll wait in his and Ron's room, and you can bring him there."

Hermione nodded. She started up the stairs to try and find Harry, while Lucy, Ron, and Ginny carried the plate of sandwiches up the stairs to Ron's and Harry's room.

"Do you think she'll be able to get him to come out?" Ron asked.

"She'll get him," Lucy replied. "He doesn't even know that she's here, and I bet the surprise will get him to follow her."

Ron and Ginny sat down on Ron's bed, and Lucy sat on Harry's.

A few minutes later, Hermione entered the room, leading Harry with her. Lucy glanced at Ron and Ginny, who were looking at Harry apprehensively.

"I came on the Knight Bus," Hermione explained to Harry, shrugging out of her coat. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing yesterday morning, but I had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's and he'd given you all permission to visit. So…" She shut the bedroom door behind Harry and sat down next to Ginny.

All four of them looked up at Harry.

"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine," Harry replied shortly.

"Oh, don't bullshit us, Harry," Lucy said in an annoyed tone. "You've been hiding from all of us ever since we got back from St. Mungo's."

"I have not," Harry muttered.

"You have!" Ginny exclaimed. "You won't even look at any of us!"

his was true; Harry wouldn't meet any of their eyes. "It's you lot who won't look at me!" Harry insisted, looking at the floor.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," Hermione suggested, and Lucy snorted.

"Very funny," Harry said sarcastically. He turned around, still refusing to look at anyone.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," Lucy sighed.

"Look," Hermione started, "the others have told me what you overheard yesterday on the Extendable Ears—"

"Yeah?" Harry interrupted. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it—"

"We wanted to talk _to you_, Harry," Ginny said, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back—"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," Harry said.

"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," Ginny said hotly, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it fucking feels."

There was a ringing silence for a moment before Harry slowly turned back to them. He looked at Ginny and said honestly, "I forgot."

"Lucky you," Ginny grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized sincerely. "So… do you think I'm being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"

Harry furrowed his brow in thought for a few seconds. "No," he finally said.

"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," Ginny said. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."

Harry, sounding uncertain, began, "That dream I had about your dad and the snake, though—"

"Harry, you've had these dreams before," Lucy pointed out. "You had flashes of what You-Know-Who was up to last year."

"This was _different_," Harry insisted. "This time, I was _inside_ that snake. It was like I _was_ the snake.… What if Voldemort somehow transported me to London—?"

"One day," Hermione cut in, "you'll read _Hogwarts, A History_, and perhaps that will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," Ron finally spoke up. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up.…"

Harry paced back and forth a few times before grabbing a sandwich off the plate and taking a large bite out of it.

"Feeling better?" Lucy asked.

Harry slowly nodded. "A little bit," he said. "Thanks for this."

"Mrs. Weasley made the sandwiches," Lucy reminded him.

"No, I mean, thanks for finding me and knocking a bit of sense into me," Harry clarified.

"That's what we're here for," Lucy said, smiling.

**~LJ:NK~**

In the next few days until Christmas, they all worked very hard to clean and decorate the house for the holidays. Sirius was in a particularly good mood, trying very hard to make sure all his guests felt welcome. They were even able to procure a Christmas tree, which was set up in the drawing room.

On Christmas morning, Lucy awoke to a large pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Hermione and Ginny were already awake and beginning to open their presents, so Lucy did the same. When they were finished, they changed out of their pajamas and each pulled on their Christmas sweaters from Mrs. Weasley. Lucy also put the new charm from Jeremy onto her bracelet: an ice skate.

Lucy and Ginny went down to the kitchen, where Sirius, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley were all preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," Mrs. Weasley said warmly to the girls.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Lucy said at the same time as Ginny said, "Morning, Mum."

Fred and George strolled into the kitchen next, exchanging greetings with the others. Then they all heard a noise and looked up to see an owl flying into the room.

"That's Hermes," Mrs. Weasley said, looking a bit nervous. The owl dropped its parcel on the table and took off again, disappearing from the room. Mrs. Weasley went over to the table and unwrapped the package. "Oh!" she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"What's the matter?" Fred asked immediately, and Mrs. Weasley threw her arms around his neck, sobbings.

Lucy looked closely at what the package was and saw a sweater inside. "Is that Percy's Christmas sweater?" she asked Ginny in a hushed voice, and Ginny nodded, her eyes hard.

"It's okay, Mum," Fred said, awkwardly patting his mother on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Percy's just a humongous pile of rat droppings, anyway," George supplied. Lucy frowned deeply at him, and he yelped, "What? He is!"

"You're really not being helpful," Lucy replied, shaking her head.

Remus strode over from the stove and tried to console Mrs. Weasley, and Fred and George scampered from the room.

"There, now, Molly," Remus said. "Everything will be all right."

Lucy and Ginny exchanged a glance. "I'm going to go upstairs," Ginny said, backing out of the room after her brothers.

Lucy went over to where Sirius was standing. "Do you need any help with anything?" she asked him.

"I think breakfast is just about ready," Sirius said, looking around. "Could you help me get the dinner things out of the pantry? Having another pair of hands would be helpful."

Lucy nodded and followed him into the pantry.

"How's Harry doing?" Sirius asked immediately. "He seems like he's better."

"Much better," Lucy said. "We've managed to convince him that he's probably not being possessed by You-Know-Who. And by _we_, I mean Ginny, since she's actually been possessed before."

"Well, Voldemort may not be possessing him, but there's always a chance that there's something else going on with Harry," Sirius said. "You, Ron, and Hermione just stick close with him when you get back to Hogwarts, all right?"

"Of course we will," Lucy agreed.

Sirius nodded his approval and then handed her a couple of boxes of food. Then he bent down and pulled out a giant turkey that was going to be their main course for dinner that day. "C'mon," he grunted, gesturing to the door of the pantry.

Lucy pushed it open, exited, and then held the door for Sirius.

"I think I'll just leave his present here," Hermione was saying across the room. She, Ron, Harry, Fred, and George were in the kitchen now, looking into a small door. "He'll find it later. That'll be fine—"

"Come to think of it, has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?" Sirius asked, setting the turkey onto a counter nearby.

"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," Harry said. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…" Sirius said. "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too.… He must be hiding upstairs somewhere.…"

"He couldn't have left, could he?" Harry asked. "I mean, when you said _out_, maybe he thought you meant to get out of the house?"

"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes," Sirius brushed off. "They're tied to their family's house."

"They can leave the house if they really want to," Harry said, frowning. "Dobby did; he left the Malfoys' to give me warnings three years ago. He had to punish himself afterward, but he still managed it."

There was a heavy pause.

"I'll look for him later," Sirius decided. "I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something.… Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died… but I mustn't get my hopes up.…"

Fred, George, and Ron laughed, and Hermione gave Sirius a withering look.

**~LJ:NK~**

After lunch, Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone together to visit Mr. Weasley again. All four of the younger Weasley children plus Bill, Lucy, Hermione, and Harry were going, along with Moody and Remus as escorts. Mundungus also showed up in time for dessert, and he had managed to acquire a car to take them across London.

It was a pretty quiet drive, as there were not many other cars on the streets, and Mundungus dropped them off right in front of the window with the mannequin. The group strolled casually up to the window and through the glass.

The inside of the hospital had been decorated for Christmas, and the reception area was much less crowded than the last time they'd visited. This time, they didn't have to stop at the help desk, either; Mrs. Weasley led them straight up to the first floor and into Mr. Weasley's ward.

Mr. Weasley was sitting up in bed again, a dinner tray on his lap, and he looked a bit anxious when he saw his wife enter the room. Everyone said their hellos and passed Mr. Weasley his presents.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Fine, fine," Mr. Weasley replied quickly. "You—er—haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No, why?" Mrs. Weasley answered, narrowing her eyes at her husband.

"Nothing, nothing," Mr. Weasley said, waving her off. He reached forward and started pulling the paper off his presents. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, _Harry_—this is absolutely _wonderful_—" He had just opened Harry's present, and he leaned over to shake Harry's hand in thanks.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley snapped, glaring at him, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."

"What?" Mr. Weasley said, looking nervous. "No, no—it's nothing—it's—I—" He seemed quite flustered. "Well—now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea.… He's the Trainee Healer, you know—lovely young chap and very interested in—um—complementary medicine.… I mean, some of those old Muggle remedies—well, they're called _stitches_, Molly, and they work very well on—on Muggle wounds—"

Mrs. Weasley let out a loud noise. Remus got up immediately and went over to the werewolf in the next bed. Bill stood, as well, saying he fancied a cup of tea, and he left the ward with Fred and George following him.

"Do you mean to tell me," Mrs. Weasley began angrily, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," Mr. Weasley replied. "It was just—just something Pye and I thought we'd try—only, most unfortunately—well, with these particular kinds of wounds—it doesn't seem to have worked as well as we'd hoped—"

"_Meaning_?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Well… well, I don't know whether you know what—what stitches are?" Mr. Weasley said uneasily.

"It _sounds_ as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," Mrs. Weasley answered, "but even _you_, Arthur, wouldn't be _that_ stupid—"

"I fancy a cup of tea, too," Harry said suddenly, jumping to his feet.

Lucy, fully aware of what stitches were, nodded her agreement. She, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all hurried out of the room, following Harry.

As the door shut behind them, they heard Mrs. Weasley scream, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, _THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA_?"

"Typical Dad," Ginny said. "Stitches… I ask you—"

"Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds," Hermione said. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something.… I wonder where the tearoom is?"

"Fifth floor," Lucy and Harry said promptly at the same time.

The five of them made their way through the hospital, passing portraits of old Healers, who took it upon themselves to diagnose the kids with various diseases.

"You are clearly suffering from a horrid case of spattergroit, young master!" a portrait yelled out to Ron.

"What's that supposed to be?" Ron snapped, looking at the Healer, who was running through other portraits to keep up with them.

"'Tis a most grievous affliction of the skin, young master," the Healer said boldly, "that will leave you pockmarked and more gruesome even than you are now—"

"Watch who you're calling gruesome!" Ron growled.

"The only remedy is to take the liver of a toad," the Healer continued, "bind it tight about your throat, stand naked by the full moon in a barrel of eels' eyes—"

"I have not got spattergroit!" Ron shouted.

The Healer tried to reason, "But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master—!"

"They're freckles!" Ron said. "Now get back in your own picture, and leave me alone!" Then he turned to glare at the others.

"It's just a portrait, Ron," Lucy said, unable to stop her giggles.

"What floor's this?" Ron asked, still seething.

"I think it's the fifth," Hermione said.

"Nah, it's the fourth," Harry said. "One more—"

He stopped suddenly, looking through the window on the door to floor four. The other four looked, as well, and saw a blond-haired man staring back at them, his nose pressed up against the glass.

"Blimey!" Ron gasped.

"Wow," Lucy breathed.

"Oh, my goodness," Hermione said. "Professor Lockhart!"

Gilderoy Lockhart pushed the door open and strode over to them, smiling vacantly. His hospital gown was lilac, just like his favorite robes had been. "Well, hello there!" he announced. "I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?"

"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Harry muttered.

"Er—how are you, Professor?" Ron asked, sounding a bit guilty. It was his backfiring wand that had caused Lockhart to place a memory charm on himself, which was how he'd wound up at St. Mungo's in the first place.

"I'm very well indeed, thank you!" Lockhart said happily. He plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a quill. "Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined-up writing now, you know!"

"Er—we don't want any at the moment, thanks," Ron said, glancing at Harry.

"Professor," Harry added, "should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn't you be in a ward?"

Lockhart's smile faded as he stared at Harry. "Haven't we met?" he finally asked.

"Er—yeah, we have," Harry replied. "You used to teach at Hogwarts, remember?"

"Teach?" Lockhart echoed. "Me? Did I?" He blinked, and then the grin reappeared on his face. "Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen? Then you can give them to all your little friends, and nobody will be left out!"

Before any of them could say anything, a voice came from the other end of the fourth-floor corridor. "Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?" A Healer was hurrying down the hall towards them, smiling at the group. "Oh, Gilderoy, you've got visitors! How _lovely_, and on Christmas Day, too! Do you know, he _never_ gets visitors, the poor lamb. I can't think why—he's such a sweetie, aren't you?"

"We're doing autographs!" Lockhart exclaimed gleefully. "They want loads of them—won't take no for an answer! I just hope we've got enough photographs!"

"Listen to him," the Healer said sweetly, taking hold of Lockhart's arm. "He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be coming back a little bit. Will you step this way? He's in a closed ward, you know. He must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents. The door's usually kept locked—not that he's dangerous!" Then she lowered her voice and continued, "But he's a bit of a danger to himself, bless him.… Doesn't know who he is, you see—wanders off and can't remember how to get back.… It _is_ nice of you to have come to see him—"

"Er," Ron said, "actually, we were just—er—"

"Don't be silly, Ron. Of course we came to see—er—Gilderoy," Lucy said quickly, noticing the expectant look on the Healer's face.

The Healer beamed at them. "Right this way, please," she said, taking the lead with Lockhart in hand, and the other five followed.

"Sorry," Lucy mouthed at her companions.

"Let's not stay long," Ron murmured in response.

They reached the ward at the end of the corridor, and the Healer pulled her wand out. She unlocked the door and led the way inside. Then she steered Lockhart into an armchair next to an empty bed that Lucy assumed was his.

"This is our long-term resident ward," the Healer explained to the five kids. "For permanent spell damage, you know. Of course, with intensive remedial potions, charms, and a bit of luck, we can produce some improvement.… Gilderoy does seem to be getting back some sense of himself, and we've seen a real improvement in Mr. Bode—he seems to be regaining the power of speech very well, though he isn't speaking any language we recognize yet.…

"Well, I must finish giving out the Christmas presents. I'll leave you all to chat.…" The Healer bustled off.

Lucy looked at her former professor, who had pulled out a stack of photos of his own face. Then he picked up a quill and began signing them.

"You can put them in envelopes," he said to Ginny, who was nearest, tossing the signed pictures at her. "I am not forgotten, you know. No, I still receive a very great deal of fan mail.… Gladys Gudgeon writes _weekly._… I just wish I knew _why._…" He paused, confusion passing over his face, before continuing to sign. "I suspect it is simply my good looks.…"

"They didn't tell him that he was an author?" Lucy whispered to Hermione, who shrugged.

Then Lucy looked around the ward at the other patients. There was a man nearby who was muttering to himself, and next to him was a woman covered in fur. Whoever was at the end of the ward had the curtain drawn for privacy.

"Here you are, Agnes," the Healer, who was handing out Christmas presents, said to the woman with the furry face. "See, not forgotten, are you? And your son's sent an owl to say he's visiting tonight, so that's nice, isn't it?"

The woman barked loudly.

The Healer moved onto the mumbling man and said, "Look, Broderick, you've been sent a potted plant and a lovely calendar with a different fancy hippogriff for each month. They'll brighten things up, won't they?" She set the gifts onto the table next to his bed. "And—oh, Mrs. Longbottom—are you leaving already?"

Lucy's eyes snapped up to see an old woman walking down the ward away from the beds that had been shielded by the curtains. Behind her trailed a boy—

"_Neville_!" Ron cried, waving at his fellow Gryffindor.

Neville jumped and then hunched his shoulders, looking as though he was trying to hide behind his grandmother.

"It's us, Neville!" Ron continued. "Have you seen? Lockhart's here! Who've you been visiting?"

"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, looking around at them.

Neville wouldn't look up, and he didn't say anything.

"Ah, yes," Mrs. Longbottom said, surveying Harry. She held out her hand to him. "Yes, yes, I know who _you_ are, of course—Harry Potter. Neville speaks most highly of you."

"Er—thanks," Harry said, taking her hand and shaking it.

"And you two are clearly Weasleys," Mrs. Longbottom said, glancing over Ron and Ginny and offering them her hand, as well. "Yes, I know your parents—not well, of course—but fine people, fine people—and you two must be Hermione Granger and Lucy Jones."

Hermione looked surprised, so Lucy stepped forward and shook Mrs. Longbottom's hand first. "I'm Lucy," she introduced herself, "and this is Hermione."

Hermione also shook the old witch's hand.

"Yes, Neville's told me all about you both," Mrs. Longbottom said. "Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy," she looked around at her grandson, "but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say.…" She gestured towards the end of the ward.

"What?" Ron asked. "Is that your _dad_ down the end, Neville?"

"_Ron_!" Lucy hissed.

"What's this?" Mrs. Longbottom asked. "Haven't you told your friends about your parents, Neville?" Neville, still refusing to look at anyone, shook his head, and Mrs. Longbottom exclaimed, "Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of! You should be _proud_, Neville! _Proud_! They didn't give their health and sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!"

"I'm not ashamed," Neville mumbled.

Ron stood on his tip-toes, attempting to get a look at Neville's parents. Lucy reached out and tugged on his sweater sleeve, pulling him back down onto his feet.

"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" Mrs. Longbottom said to her grandson. She turned back to the others and said, "My son and his wife were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers."

Hermione and Ginny put their hands over their mouths, and Ron's eyes widened. Lucy immediately looked at Neville, who was looking quite downcast. She wanted to go to him, but she stayed in her place.

"They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the Wizarding community," Mrs. Longbottom continued. "Highly gifted, the pair of them. I—yes, Alice, dear, what is it?"

A woman had slowly approached them from the end of the ward. She held something out in her hand, gesturing to Neville anxiously. Lucy guessed that this was Neville's mother.

"Again?" Mrs. Longbottom asked. "Very well, Alice, dear. Very well—Neville, take it, whatever it is—"

Neville reached out his hand, and his mother dropped a gum wrapper in it.

"Very nice, dear," Mrs. Longbottom said, patting the woman on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Mum," Neville said so quietly that Lucy almost missed him say it, and Lucy's heart broke as Neville finally looked around at them all, glaring at them as though he expected them to laugh.

"Well, we'd better get back," Mrs. Longbottom said. "Very nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin—she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now.…"

But when his grandmother turned her back, Neville slipped the wrapper into his pocket.

Unable to stop herself, Lucy rushed forward and threw her arms around Neville, hugging him fiercely. "Merry Christmas, Nev," she murmured.

Neville was stiff for a moment, but then he relaxed and gently hugged her back. "Happy Christmas," he said, pulling away. Then he hurried after his grandmother.

Lucy turned back to the others, the corners of her eyes stinging.

"I never knew," Hermione said, her eyes looking watery, too.

"Neither did I," Lucy said quietly.

"Nor did I," Ron spoke up, his voice gravely.

"Nor me," Ginny murmured.

Harry didn't say anything for a moment, and the rest of them stared at him expectantly. "I did," he admitted. "Dumbledore told me, but I promised I wouldn't mention it—that's what Bellatrix Lestrange got sent to Azkaban for: using the Cruciatus Curse on Neville's parents until they lost their minds."

"Bellatrix Lestrange did _that_?" Hermione asked, sounding terrified. "That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Look, I didn't learn joined-up writing for nothing, you know!" Lockhart said indignantly from behind them.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Originally, after they confronted Harry about him isolating himself, I had Lucy accidentally slip her secret and try to play it off. It just seemed forced and awkward, so I took it out later.**_

_**My heart always breaks for Neville at the end of this chapter.**_


	21. 21: School Starts Again

**_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_**

* * *

**Chapter 21 – School Starts Again**

The rest of their holiday break went by very quickly. As much as she was dreading having to deal with Umbridge again, Lucy couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. She missed her boyfriend; since leaving abruptly in the middle of the night before term officially ended, she hadn't been able to say a proper good-bye to him.

Sirius, on the other hand, had sunk into a moody depression. When the holidays were over, they would all be gone again, leaving him with only Kreacher as company—Sirius had finally found the elf lurking in the attic a few days after Christmas.

The night before they were due back at Hogwarts, Lucy, Ginny, and Hermione gathered in Harry's and Ron's room to watch the boys play a game of chess.

Mrs. Weasley opened the door to the room and peered inside. "Harry, dear," she said, "could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you."

Harry, who was distracted by his game, didn't look up right away. "Squash him—_squash him_! He's only a pawn, you idiot," he said to his chess pieces. Then he looked up and said, "Sorry, Mrs. Weasley—what did you say?"

"Professor Snape, dear," Mrs. Weasley repeated. "In the kitchen. He'd like a word."

Harry exchanged confused glances with the others in the room. Crookshanks, whom Hermione had been restraining from getting at the chess pieces, took his chance to jump from Hermione's arms and onto the board. The little chess pieces scrambled away from the cat, shrieking in fear. Evie remained in Lucy's lap, watching Crookshanks with interest.

"Snape?" Harry echoed.

"_Professor_ Snape, dear," Mrs. Weasley corrected. "Now, come on, quickly. He says he can't stay long." She left the room again.

"What's he want with you?" Ron asked.

"You haven't done anything, have you?" Hermione asked.

"No!" Harry insisted.

"Well, you'd better get down there," Lucy said. "Don't want to keep him waiting, y'know."

Harry got to his feet and left the room.

"Wonder what he wants," Ron said, shoving Crookshanks away from a group of pawns cowering under his knee.

"Maybe he has a message from Dumbledore or something," Ginny suggested.

"Hermione!" Ron said in a frustrated voice. "Can you get your bloody cat away from my chess pieces!?"

Hermione hopped off the bed and scooped the large cat into her arms, so Ron could finish retrieving the pieces.

"Ron! Ginny!" Fred appeared at the bedroom door, grinning widely. "Come downstairs! Dad's just got back!"

Lucy, although a bit shocked, felt a smile grow on her face. She and the others hurried out of the bedroom and down the stairs to see Mr. Weasley standing in the foyer with Mrs. Weasley, George, and Bill.

"Dad!" Ginny exclaimed in a whisper, trying to stay quiet to not wake Mrs. Black's portrait. She ran forward and hugged her father.

"Come along," Mrs. Weasley said quietly. "Let's go downstairs. It's almost dinner time, after all."

They all trooped downstairs into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley pushed the doors open, and everyone filed inside.

"Cured!" Mr. Weasley announced. "Completely cured!"

Lucy surveyed the scene in front of them, her eyes widening in surprise. Sirius and Snape had their wands out and in each other's faces, and Harry was standing between them.

"Merlin's beard," Mr. Weasley said. "What's going on here?"

Sirius and Snape lowered their wands and glared at each other.

Then Snape put his wand into his robe pocket and stalked away from Sirius towards the kitchen doors. He paused and looked back at Harry. "Six o'clock, Monday evening, Potter," he drawled. Then he disappeared up the steps.

"What's been going on?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking at Sirius.

"Nothing, Arthur," Sirius replied airily, although he was breathing hard. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends.…" He grinned and said, "So… you're cured? That's great news! Really great—"

"Yes, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley said, guiding Mr. Weasley forward and into one of the chairs. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end. He found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine. _Haven't you, dear?_" She gave her husband a hard look.

"Yes, Molly, dear," Mr. Weasley answered obediently.

**~LJ:NK~**

Dinner that night was a mostly happy affair. Mundungus and Moody joined them, wanting to see Mr. Weasley and give him their congratulations. Lucy chatted cheerfully with Ginny and Bill for a while, but she kept glancing at Sirius, who seemed very unhappy. Lucy assumed it was because of his fight with Snape earlier, and she wasn't surprised; Sirius and Snape hated one another, after all.

Before they went up to bed, Harry told Lucy, Ron, and Hermione that Snape was going to be giving Harry Occlumency lessons when term restarted.

"Dumbledore wants you to stop having those dreams about Voldemort," Hermione stated.

"Well, you won't be sorry about not having those anymore, will you?" Lucy said, shrugging.

"Extra lessons with Snape?" Ron said. "I'd rather have the nightmares!"

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning was only a little hectic. Tonks, Remus, and Moody were taking the kids back to school on the Knight Bus, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be returning to the Burrow.

Sirius took Lucy aside as the others were finishing their breakfasts. "Did Harry tell you what Snape wanted?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Lucy replied. "Occlumency lessons."

"Okay," Sirius said, nodding. "I know I tell you to do this all the time, but you need to keep an eye on him. Occlumency is very difficult, and it can really wear a person out. If anything suspicious happens, go straight to Dumbledore."

"I will," Lucy said. Then she gave her godfather a brief hug before moving back over to the Weasleys.

Sirius took Harry aside next, and when they were finished talking, everyone left the kitchen and gathered around the front door. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were saying their farewells to their children.

"Good-bye, Lucy, dear," Mrs. Weasley said when she came to Lucy, wrapping her up in a hug. Then she moved onto Harry.

"See you, Harry, and keep an eye out for snakes for me!" Mr. Weasley said jokingly, shaking the boy's hand.

"Right—yeah," Harry replied, looking around at his godfather.

Sirius stepped forward and pulled Harry under one arm. "Look after yourself, Harry," he said.

"Let's get moving," Moody said from the front of the line.

He opened the front door and exited the house. Fred, George, and Ginny followed him out. Remus went next, and Lucy hurried after him. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Tonks were last.

"Come on," Tonks said in a low voice when they were all gathered on the sidewalk. "The quicker we get on the bus, the better."

Without further ado, Moody threw his right arm out in front of him, and then there was a loud bang. Lucy felt a small smile pulling on her lips as a large, triple-decker, purple bus appeared. It rolled up to them, slamming on its brakes.

A young man in a uniform jumped down from the door and started, "Welcome to the—"

"Yes, yes, we know. Thank you," Tonks said. "On—on—get on—"

One by one, the members of their group stepped onto the bus.

The young man stared at Harry and said, "'Ere—it's 'Arry—!"

"If you shout his name, I will curse you into oblivion," Tonks said irritably as they finished piling onto the vehicle.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing," Ron said, looking around in interest.

Lucy looked around, as well, surprised to see a number of passengers picking themselves up off the floor.

"Looks like we'll have to split up," Moody said gruffly.

"Right," Tonks said, nodding. "Fred and George, you stay with Mad-Eye and take those seats at the back.…"

Fred, George, and Moody moved to the back of the bus and sat down. Tonks led the rest of them to the next deck.

"Ginny and Lucy, go with Remus," Tonks said, spotting a few empty chairs in the middle of the aisle.

Remus nodded once before ushering the girls over to their seats. The three of them paid their fare to the man who had greeted them, and he hurried off after Tonks, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"I've never been on a bus like this," Lucy remarked, looking around at the other passengers. "What's it like?"

"You'll see," Remus said, gripping the underside of his chair with one hand.

A few moments later, the bus started moving, rumbling slowly forward until—

_BANG_.

Lucy and Ginny shrieked as their chairs lurched backwards. Many of the chairs around them tipped over, dumping their passengers to the floor. Lucy looked in amazement out the window as the scenery changed around them. There was a loud gagging noise a few seats in front of them, and they looked up to see a woman being violently sick into her handbag.

A few stops later, the young man who had taken their money escorted the poor woman off the bus. The passengers around Lucy, Ginny, and Remus were all breathing sighs of relief before the bus took off again.

_BANG_.

"Look, it's Hogsmeade!" Ginny exclaimed, gazing out the window.

Lucy turned to see the snow-covered buildings of the little town rushing by the windows.

Soon, the bus halted, and Remus led the girls off. They met up with the rest of their group.

"You'll be safe once you're on the grounds," Moody said, his magical eye whizzing around in its socket, as it always was.

"Have a good term, okay?" Tonks added, smiling around at all of them.

Everyone began exchanging good-byes. Lucy launched herself into Remus's arms, hugging him tightly. Then she hugged Tonks just as hard, but only shook Moody's hand; she didn't think Moody would appreciate a hug.

"Look after yourselves," Remus called after them as the seven kids started back up to the school.

They all gave the three adults one last wave before turning back to the school. The trek up to the castle was difficult, as there was freshly fallen snow to drag their trunks through. Fred and George talked about how they couldn't wait to get back to selling their Skiving Snackboxes, and Hermione gushed about being able to use magic to knit her hats for the house-elves again.

As they reached the front door, Lucy looked over her shoulder at Harry, who was looking wistfully down at Hogsmeade. She knew what he was thinking: he wished that he could go back to Grimmauld Place to be with Sirius.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy spent most of the next day trying to cheer Harry up. She knew that he was not looking forward to starting Occlumency lessons with Snape that night. It didn't help that members of the D.A. kept coming up to him and asking if there was going to be a meeting that night.

Zacharias Smith caught up with them after lunch, cornering them in the entrance hall and demanding to know if there was going to be a meeting.

"I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry repeated, "but I can't do it tonight. I've got to go to—er—Remedial Potions—"

"You take _Remedial Potions_?" Zacharias asked with a chuckle. "Good Lord, you must be _terrible_. Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?" He turned and strutted away.

"Shall I jinx him?" Ron asked quietly. "I can still get him from here." He pulled his wand out and aimed it at Zacharias's back.

"Forget it," Harry replied. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup—"

"Hi, Harry," a voice said.

Harry and Ron turned to see Cho coming up behind them.

"Oh," Harry said lamely. "Hi."

"We'll be in the library, Harry," Hermione said immediately.

Lucy grabbed Ron by the arm and pulled him away from Harry and Cho.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked grumpily.

"Well, seeing as you insulted Cho's Quidditch team the last time she wanted to talk to Harry, it would be in Harry's best interest if you made yourself scarce," Lucy said.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Ron insisted.

"I'm sure they appreciate the privacy," Hermione commented airily. "Now, come on."

"Of all the places we could go, you picked the library," Ron grumbled as the three Gryffindors entered the library.

It wasn't long before Harry caught back up with them.

"What happened?" Lucy asked, noticing the faint smile on her brother's face.

"I asked Cho out to Hogsmeade over Valentine's Day," he replied.

Lucy and Hermione beamed at him, but Ron just had a blank look on his face.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night at dinner, Jeremy caught up with Lucy. "How was your Christmas?" he asked as he settled onto the bench next to her.

"It was okay," Lucy replied. "I don't know if you heard, but Mr. Weasley had a bit of an accident and had to spend the holiday in St. Mungo's. He was released yesterday, though, good as new."

"That's good," Jeremy said. "Hermione told me that you, Harry, and the Weasleys had left early to visit him before term had officially ended. Umbridge was not very happy about it."

"I'm sorry I had to leave without saying good-bye," Lucy said. "I hope your Christmas was all right."

"Went to France," Jeremy replied. "I debated staying, but you weren't going to be here—and Mary, Daphne, and Jake all went home, as well. So I spent the time hiding from my cousins, as usual." He laughed quietly. "I'm just glad to be back," he added, taking one of her hands in his.

"I am, too," Lucy said with a smile.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, Harry went down to Snape's classroom for his Occlumency lesson. Lucy, Hermione, and Ron, meanwhile, went to the library to work on Umbridge's homework. It was dark out before Harry joined them, looking shaken up.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked quietly, glancing up at him.

Lucy looked at him, too, noticing how pale he was. "Are you all right, Harry?" she asked, frowning.

"Yeah—fine—I dunno," Harry said. "Listen… I've just realized something.…" He proceeded to tell them that he had been dreaming of a corridor for months, and he'd just found out where it was.

"So—so, are you saying…" Ron started, lowering his voice as Madam Pince walked past, "that the weapon—the thing You-Know-Who's after—is in the Ministry of Magic?"

"In the Department of Mysteries," Harry replied. "It's got to be. I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing, and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."

Lucy and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

"Of course," Hermione sighed.

"Of course, what?" Ron asked.

"Ron, think about it…" Hermione said. "Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic.… It must have been that one! It's too much of a coincidence!"

"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" Ron asked.

"Well, I don't know," Hermione said. "That _is_ a bit odd.…"

"Maybe he was cursed," Lucy suggested, shrugging. She turned to Ron and asked, "What's in the Department of Mysteries? Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"

"I know they call the people who work there _Unspeakables_," Ron answered, "because no one really seems to know what they do in there.… Weird place to have a weapon—"

"It's not weird at all," Hermione argued. "It makes perfect sense. It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect.…"

Lucy looked at Harry, who was pressing both of his hands to his forehead. "Are you sure you're all right, Harry?" she asked him.

"Yeah—fine…" he said. "I just feel a bit—I don't like Occlumency much.…"

"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," Hermione said. "Look, let's get back to the common room. We'll be a bit more comfortable there.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

However, the common room was very loud when they reached it. Fred and George had a new product for their joke shop that they were showing off to the entire room.

"Headless Hats!" George announced. "Two galleons each—watch Fred now!"

Fred, who was waving a hat above the crowd, placed it on his head. After a second, the hat and his head both vanished. A few girls let out screams, but most people laughed loudly and applauded. Lucy giggled.

"And off again!" George said.

Fred's hand went to where is head was supposed to be. He groped around for a moment, and then his head reappeared. The hat was in his hand.

"How do those hats work, then?" Hermione asked, watching the twins closely. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object.… I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life, though.…"

"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," Harry sighed.

Lucy looked around at him and saw him putting his books back into his bag.

"Well, write it in your homework planner, then!" Hermione said, her eyes shiny with excitement. "So you don't forget!"

Hermione had gotten both Harry and Ron homework planners for Christmas, which she was very proud of. Lucy had a feeling that the boys were less enthusiastic about them.

Harry pulled the planner out of his bag. "_Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater_!" the planner squeaked as Harry opened it and wrote down his homework.

Hermione smiled, satisfied.

"I think I'll go to bed," Harry said. He slung his bag over his shoulder and left for the boys' staircase.

"He really doesn't look very well," Lucy commented as he disappeared.

"I think I'll go up with him," Ron said. "Make sure he doesn't get sick or something, you know."

When he was gone, Lucy shook her head. "Occlumency lessons," she muttered.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking up from her homework.

"I get that Dumbledore wants Harry to stop having dreams about You-Know-Who," Lucy said, "but why did he insist that _Snape_ be the one to teach Harry?"

"Snape's on our side, though," Hermione said, "and Lupin said that he was a great Occlumens."

"But Dumbledore _knows_ that Snape and Harry don't get along," Lucy argued, frowning. "Why couldn't Dumbledore teach him?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore's very busy," Hermione said. "He's got a lot on his plate, you know, with the Order and everything."

"I know," Lucy said glumly, "and it's all because of You-Know—Voldemort."

It felt weird to say his name out loud, but it also felt strangely powerful. In that moment, Lucy vowed to herself that she would never be afraid to use it again.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: In the book, Moody does not accompany the group on the Knight Bus. I felt like an extra chaperone was necessary, since with Lucy, there were seven kids instead of six.**_

_**I feel like the fear of Voldemort was never as deeply ingrained in Lucy as it was in the Weasleys or other British wizards. Lucy had, of course, heard the stories about how terrible Voldemort was, but since it had happened in a far away place, it wasn't quite as scary. I always thought it was only a matter of time before Lucy started using his name, and I'm sure she would feel that if Hermione could do it, so could she.**_


	22. 22: The Meeting in Hogsmeade

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 22 – The Meeting in Hogsmeade**

The next morning, Hermione had barely received her copy of the _Daily Prophet_ when she let out a loud screech. Nearly every head in the Great Hall turned to look at her.

"What?" Lucy, Harry, and Ron asked.

Hermione laid the paper on the table and pointed wordlessly to the front page. There were ten photos spread across the page: they were the mug shots of nine wizards and one witch. Lucy looked at the first picture. _Antonin Dolohov_, the caption underneath it read, _convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett_.

"Who are these people?" Lucy asked, glancing at the other photos.

Hermione gestured to the headline.

_**MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN  
MINISTRY FEAR BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT" FOR OLD DEATH EATERS**_

"Black?" Harry said in alarm. "Not—?"

"_Shhh_!" Lucy and Hermione quickly shushed him. "Read it aloud, Hermione," Lucy added.

Hermione cleared her throat and began to read the article.

_The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban._

_Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals._

"_We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago, when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "We also believe that the two breakouts are related. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals—who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange—have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."_

"There you are, Harry," Ron said when Hermione was finished. "That's why he was happy last night.…"

"I don't believe this," Harry said angrily. "Fudge is blaming the breakout on _Sirius_?"

"What other choice does he have?" Lucy pointed out.

"Right," Hermione agreed grimly. "He can hardly say, _Sorry, everyone. Dumbledore warned me this might happen. The Azkaban guards have joined Lord Voldemort_—stop _whimpering_, Ron—_and now Voldemort's worst supporters have broken out, too._ I mean, he's spent a good six months telling everyone you and Dumbledore are liars, hasn't he?" With that, she picked up the paper and opened it to read the rest of the article.

"Harry," Lucy said tentatively, "what did Ron mean by _that's why he was happy last night_?"

Harry sighed and told her and Hermione what had happened the night before, when he had sensed that Voldemort had felt very happy, but he hadn't known why at the time. When Harry finished talking, he looked up at the staff table. Lucy glanced at the teachers, as well, noticing that they were all looking extremely grave.

"Look at them," Harry murmured, his eyes sweeping around the hall. "Why aren't more people upset by this? Do they not understand that there are ten more Death Eaters on the loose now?"

"Most of them probably haven't seen the article," Lucy reasoned. "How many of them get the _Prophet_?"

Hermione gasped, "Oh, my—"

"What now?" Harry asked, seeming on edge.

"It's… _horrible_," Hermione replied. Then she read aloud from the paper again.

_**TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER**_

_St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted-plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death._

_Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bode's ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday._

_A spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement, "St. Mungo's deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident. We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards, but it appears that Healer Stout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode's bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom. but a cutting of Devil's Snare, which, when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly."_

_St. Mungo's is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward._

"Bode…" Ron said thoughtfully. "_Bode_. It rings a bell.…"

Lucy's eyes widened. "We _saw_ him!" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. "In St. Mungo's, remember? He was in the bed across from Lockhart's. He was just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we _saw_ the Devil's Snare arrive! She—the Healer—said it was a Christmas present.…"

"How come we didn't recognize Devil's Snare…?" Harry whispered. "We've seen it before—we could've stopped this from happening—!"

"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a potted plant?" Ron said. "It's not our fault. Whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat. Why didn't they check what they were buying?"

"Oh, come on, Ron!" Hermione said. "I don't think anyone could put Devil's Snare in a pot and not realize it tries to kill whoever touches it. This—this was murder.… A clever murder, as well.… If the plant was sent anonymously, how's anyone ever going to find out who did it?"

"I met Bode," Harry said, frowning at the newspaper. "I saw him at the Ministry with your dad.…"

Ron gasped. "I've heard Dad talk about him at home!" he said. "He was an Unspeakable—he worked in the Department of Mysteries!"

The four of them exchanged looks, unable to say anything else. Then Hermione stood, folding up her paper.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"To send a letter," Hermione answered. "It—well, I don't know whether—but it's worth trying—and I'm the only one who can.…" Then she dashed off.

"We have class in ten minutes!" Lucy called after her.

"I _hate_ it when she does that," Ron added. He, Lucy, and Harry stood from the table, as well, and began walking up the hall. "Would it kill her to tell us what she's up to for once?" Ron went on. "It'd take her about ten more seconds—hey, Hagrid!"

Hagrid was standing at the door to the Great Hall, waiting for a group to walk ahead of him. "All righ', you three?" he asked, looking down at the fifth-years. He attempted to smile.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" Harry asked, falling into step next to his half-giant friend as they left the hall.

"Fine, fine," Hagrid replied. "Jus' busy, yeh know. Usual stuff—lessons ter prepare—couple o' salamanders got scale rot—an' I'm on probation," he added, so quietly that Lucy almost missed it.

"_You're on probation_?" Ron repeated in a yelp, causing many of the students in the entrance hall to look around.

"Ron!" Lucy snapped.

"Sorry—I mean—you're on probation?" Ron asked in a much quieter voice.

"Yeah," Hagrid sighed. "'S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' tha' inspection didn' go too well, yeh know.… Anyway, bes' go an' rub a bit more chili powder on them salamanders, or their tails'll be hangin' off 'em next. See yeh, Harry—Ron—Lucy…"

**~LJ:NK~**

Over the next few days, everyone had heard of the escaped Death Eaters, and it was all the school seemed able to talk about. Rumors flew that the escapees were hiding out in Hogsmeade at the Shrieking Shack. Also because of the escape of the Death Eaters, many of the students whose families had been hurt by Voldemort's followers were getting a lot of unwanted attention.

Harry was getting a bit more attention because of the breakout, too. At first, Lucy thought they were spreading more rumors about him, but then she overheard some students saying the _Prophet_'s version of the breakout sounded suspicious.

The students weren't the only ones gossiping these days; even the teachers would huddle together, whispering to one another and breaking off whenever students came near.

"Why do you think they talk out in the hall like that?" Lucy asked quietly as she, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking past the Charms classroom one afternoon.

Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout were standing together just outside the room, murmuring to one another.

"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," Hermione said. "Not with Umbridge in there."

"Reckon they know anything new?" Ron asked, chancing a glance back at the professors.

"If they do, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" Harry muttered darkly. "Not after decree—what number are we on now?"

"Twenty-six," Lucy answered glumly.

The day after the _Daily Prophet_ had printed the news of the Death Eaters' escape, a new Educational Decree had been put into effect. The sign had been pinned to the house notice boards for all to see.

_By Order of The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

_Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-six._

_Signed,  
Dolores Jane Umbridge  
High Inquisitor_

Many of the more daring students turned the decree into a joke. Lee Jordan in particular got into trouble when he told Umbridge that she couldn't tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in her class, since it didn't have anything to do with teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.

**~LJ:NK~**

Now that Hagrid was on probation, Umbridge was attending every single Care of Magical Creatures lesson to supervise. Hagrid was following Hermione's advice and showing the class creatures that were not classified by the Ministry as _dangerous_. He also strictly forbade Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come visit him after nightfall.

"If she catches yeh, it'll be all our necks on the line," he told them.

As much as the four Gryffindors missed their friend, they didn't want to be the reason he got fired.

**~LJ:NK~**

Umbridge was tightening her grip on Hogwarts even more fiercely than before the holidays, and the only way that Lucy and the others felt happy these days was during the D.A. meetings.

Everyone in the D.A. seemed to double their efforts to learn as much defense as they could. However, nobody was trying as hard as Neville. In fact, he was so focused at every meeting that he didn't talk to anyone other than Lucy. No matter how many times Lucy hit him with the jinxes they were working on, he always got up and was ready to try again. As the meetings went on, Neville was beginning to hit Lucy as many times as she hit him, which Lucy was delighted about.

**~LJ:NK~**

Harry continued his Occlumency lessons with Snape, and every night when he got back, he always seemed worn out. One night in the common room, when Harry returned from his lesson, he told the others about how he was worried that he wasn't getting any better.

"Maybe it's a bit like an illness," Hermione suggested. "Like a fever or something. It has to get worse before it gets better."

"It's lessons with Snape that are making it worse," Harry insisted. "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting and bored walking down that corridor every night." He paused to rub his forehead. "I just wish the door would open. I'm sick of standing there staring at it—"

"That's not funny," Hermione snapped. "Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at all, or he wouldn't have asked Snape to teach you Occlumency. You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."

"I _am_ working!" Harry said. "You try it sometime, Snape trying to get inside your head. It's not a bundle of laughs, you know!"

"We know, Harry," Lucy said soothingly.

"Maybe…" Ron said, trailing of as he looked into the fire thoughtfully.

"Maybe what?" Hermione asked briskly.

"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," Ron said.

"What do you mean?" Lucy questioned.

Ron looked over at them. "Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry…" he began. The other three just stared at him, and he glanced between them. "Maybe he's actually trying to open Harry's mind a bit wider—make it easier for You-Know—"

"Shut _up_, Ron," Hermione interrupted. "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you _ever_ been right? Dumbledore trusts him, _and_ he works for the Order. That ought to be enough."

"He used to be a Death Eater," Ron countered, "and we've never seen proof that he _really_ swapped sides—"

"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione said again, "and if we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

**~LJ:NK~**

With all the homework the fifth-years were receiving, the rest of January seemed to pass by in a blur. Soon February began, bringing some unusually warm weather with it. The snow was starting to melt, making the grounds slushy and even more difficult to walk through.

The day before the next Hogsmeade trip, Hermione pulled Lucy aside. "Listen, are you and Jeremy doing anything special in Hogsmeade tomorrow for Valentine's Day?" she asked.

"Not that I know of," Lucy replied. "We hadn't really talked about it. Why?"

"There's just something important that might come up tomorrow, around lunch time," Hermione explained. "I had an idea—although, if I don't get a letter back by tomorrow morning, it won't matter much—but could you meet me in the Three Broomsticks around noon? You can bring Jeremy with you."

"Yeah, I suppose I could," Lucy said slowly. "What's this idea of yours?"

Hermione shook her head. "You'll see tomorrow if it all works out," she said vaguely. "It would just be helpful if you were there."

"Well, all right, then," Lucy said. "I'll talk to Jeremy about it in the morning."

**~LJ:NK~**

The morning of Valentine's Day dawned sunny but a bit chilly. Lucy and Hermione dressed in layers in case it got warmer throughout the day and then went down to breakfast.

Jeremy joined them soon after. "Morning," he said brightly, kissing the side of Lucy's head.

Lucy smiled at him. "So, Hermione might need me for something around lunch time," she explained to him. "She wants to meet up in the Three Broomsticks. Would you be interested in joining me?"

"Sure, why not?" Jeremy answered. He looked over at Hermione, who was looking up at the owls hopefully. "Has she said why she needs you?"

"You'll just have to wait," Hermione answered, not looking at either of them. "If I don't get an answer back, it won't matter, anyway." Then she gasped as an owl landed next to her. It dropped a letter on her plate and took off again.

"Good morning," Ron said as he and Harry sat down on the bench opposite them. "What's that?"

"About time!" Hermione said, ignoring the boys. "If it hadn't come today…" She opened the envelope and shook the letter out to read it. After quickly scanning the page, she smiled in triumph. "Listen, Harry," she began, looking up, "this is really important.… Do you think you could meet me in the Three Broomsticks around midday?"

"Well… I dunno," Harry replied awkwardly. "Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do."

"Oh, right. You have your date with Cho today," Lucy said.

"Well, bring her along if you must," Hermione said impatiently, "but will you come?"

"Well… all right, but why?" Harry asked.

"I haven't got the time to tell you now," Hermione said, standing up with the letter in one hand and a bit of toast in the other. "I've got to answer this, quickly—" Then she sped from the Great Hall.

"Don't feel bad," Lucy said, looking at Harry. "She wouldn't tell me what it is, either, but Jeremy and I will be there."

"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron shook his head, a miserable look on his face. "I can't come into Hogsmeade at all," he reported. "Angelina wants a full day's training. Like it's going to help—we're the worst team I've ever seen. You should see Sloper and Kirke. They're pathetic—even worse than I am." He sighed and added, "I dunno why Angelina won't just let me resign—"

"It's because you're good when you're on form, that's why," Harry said through gritted teeth.

Ron dropped the subject of Quidditch immediately, and a few minutes later he got up to leave for the pitch.

"Good luck!" Lucy called after him. Then she turned to Harry. "When are you meeting Cho?"

"In a few minutes," Harry answered. He picked up a spoon and looked at his reflection in it, running his free hand through his hair.

"Stop it," Lucy scolded, reaching across the table and grabbing his wrist. "You actually mess your hair up more when you do that. You look fine."

Harry looked at her nervously. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes, of course you do," Lucy said encouragingly. "Now, come on—you don't want to keep her waiting." She turned to Jeremy and asked, "Ready to go?"

Jeremy smiled. "Ready when you are," he answered.

They got up, and Jeremy took Lucy's hand loosely in his. The three of them walked out into the entrance hall, and there they saw Cho standing near the front doors.

"Good luck," Lucy hissed at Harry as they neared the Ravenclaw girl.

"Hi," Cho said, her cheeks pink but otherwise looking excited.

"Hi," Harry replied.

Lucy felt her eyebrows raising. "Hi, Cho," she said. "We hope you two have a nice day. See you later, Harry."

"'Bye," Harry and Cho echoed.

Jeremy waved with his free hand, and then he led Lucy out the front doors and down the steps. "That was a bit awkward," he commented as they walked down the front path towards Hogsmeade.

"Harry's never had a girlfriend before," Lucy said. "In fact, before Cho, I don't think he's ever shown any interest in _any_ girl. I'm not surprised that he doesn't know what to do."

"I'm glad I don't have that problem," Jeremy said slyly, winking.

"You couldn't even ask me to the Yule Ball!" Lucy countered, laughing.

"Yeah, well, we've been together for a while now, so it hardly matters in the long run, does it?" Jeremy shot back.

Lucy grinned, happy that they could spend a few hours together away from school.

They had almost reached Hogsmeade when Jeremy stopped suddenly and swooped down to kiss Lucy. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he pulled away.

"To you, as well," Lucy said. "It doesn't bother you to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks later, does it? We don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's fine by me," Jeremy replied, waving her off. "Besides, now I'm a little curious as to what her plan is."

**~LJ:NK~**

They walked down High Street, pausing to look into the windows of various shops. The first building they went into was Honeydukes to pick up some sweets. The inside of the shop was decorated with pinks and reds for the holiday, and there were sales on Valentine's-themed candy.

Lucy and Jeremy ended up with a bagful each, and when they left the shop, they noticed that it had begun to rain. They pulled their hoods up over their heads and continued up the street to Zonko's Joke Shop.

"Hi, Fred. Hi, George," Lucy greeted when they ran into the twins inside the shop.

"Morning," Fred said, examining a pair of glasses.

"What are you two doing?" Lucy asked, noticing that George was also inspecting one of Zonko's products.

"Field research," George replied. "Checking out what the competition has in stock, you know. Also trying to distract ourselves from the fact that we aren't out training for Quidditch."

Lucy frowned. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault," George said, waving a hand dismissively at her. "It's our own—and Malfoy's and Umbridge's. We're going to get her back one of these days, though. You can count on that."

"How are you going to do that?" Jeremy asked.

Fred looked at the two fifth-years, putting a finger to his lips. "That is our most top-secret project," he said, his mouth twitching as though he was trying not to smile. "We've been thinking that—when the time is right—we'll give that old toad what she deserves. I mean, we don't have Quidditch to look forward to anymore, and honestly, there really is no point for us to take our N.E.W.T.s."

"Well, you won't find any arguments here," Lucy said. "Just make sure you don't do anything illegal, okay? The last thing you two need is to get chucked into Azkaban or something."

"Don't worry," George said. "Our pranks aren't meant to permanently harm or disfigure, but someday soon, we'll get her back."

"Any more of those Educational Decrees and she's going to have a full uprising on her hands," Jeremy said, shaking his head.

"Exactly what we were thinking," Fred said, "and we figure it might be up to us to get the rebellion started."

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy and Jeremy left the shop a few minutes later, and Lucy couldn't help but be curious about what the twins were planning. They walked lazily up the street, until the rain started to come down harder. Jeremy took Lucy's hand and pulled her under the awning of a nearby shop.

"Wow," Jeremy said as they caught their breath.

"Jeremy, look!" Lucy said, pointing to a figure running through the rain.

It was Cho, and Harry was nowhere to be found.

"She looks upset," Jeremy said, squinting to see the Ravenclaw. "I wonder what Harry did to her?"

"Only one way to find out," Lucy replied. "Come on; let's head over to the Three Broomsticks. I know we're early, but we can get something to eat."

Jeremy agreed, and the two of them rushed off to the Three Broomsticks.

**~LJ:NK~**

When they reached the pub, Jeremy opened the door for Lucy, and they both entered. The place was full of people, and Lucy and Jeremy looked around for Hermione.

"I can't see anyone through this crowd," Lucy said, standing on her tiptoes.

"Well, let's go and get something to eat," Jeremy said.

Lucy nodded, and the two of them went up to the bar. A few minutes later, they each had a sandwich and a butterbeer.

"Now where are we going to sit?" Lucy asked, but her question was answered when she heard a shout.

"Lucy! Jeremy!"

Lucy turned her head to see Hermione waving at her from the back of the room. "Come on," Lucy said. Jeremy followed her as she pushed through the crowd towards Hermione.

When they reached Hermione, they saw that she was not alone. Sitting on either side of her was Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter, a former writer for the _Daily Prophet_.

"You're a bit earlier than I thought you'd be," Hermione informed them as Lucy and Jeremy sat down.

"Well, it started raining, and we didn't have anything else to do," Lucy replied. "What's going on?" She glanced over at Rita, feeling wary. The year before, Rita had written quite a few horrible articles about Hermione and Harry, so she was the last person Lucy thought that Hermione would want to spend any time with.

"Well—oh, there's Harry!" Hermione said. "He's early, too. Harry!" She waved her arms over her head again. "Over here!"

Lucy looked around to see Harry approaching their table. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened between him and Cho. He didn't look very happy.

"You're early!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry joined them. She gestured to a seat for Harry to sit in. "I thought you were with Cho. I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least!"

"Cho?" Rita repeated, her eyes lighting up. "A _girl_?" She rummaged around in her bag for a moment.

"It's none of _your_ business if Harry's been with a hundred girls," Hermione snapped, "so you can put that away right now."

Rita, who had been pulling out a quill, gave Hermione a sour look and dropped it back into her bag.

"What are you up to?" Harry asked suspiciously, looking between Hermione, Luna, and Rita.

"Little Miss Perfect was just about to tell me when you arrived," Rita said. "I suppose I'm allowed to _talk_ to him, am I?"

"Yes, I suppose you are," Hermione shot back, and Lucy tried to cover the small smile that grew on her face.

"Pretty girl, is she, Harry?" Rita asked out of the side of her mouth.

"One more word about Harry's love life, and the deal's off," Hermione said, her voice ringing with annoyance. "That's a promise."

"What _deal_?" Rita asked. "You haven't mentioned a _deal_ yet, Miss Prissy. You just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days…" She let out a dramatic sigh.

"Yes, yes, one of these days you'll write more horrible stories about Harry and me," Hermione said in a bored voice. "Find someone who cares, why don't you?"

"They've run plenty of horrible stories about Harry this year without my help," Rita said. She looked at Harry and stage-whispered, "How has that made you feel, Harry? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"

"He feels angry, of course," Lucy spoke up, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, and who's this spirited little thing?" Rita asked, giving Lucy a once-over.

"I'm a friend of Harry's," Lucy replied, folding her arms over her chest, "and that's all you're getting about me."

"Well, Miss Friend-of-Harry's, why do _you_ think he feels so angry?" Rita asked.

"Because he told the Minster of Magic the truth, but the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe him," Lucy answered.

"So you actually stick to it, do you?" Rita asked, turning sharply towards Harry. "That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back? You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness—"

"I wasn't the sole witness," Harry interrupted. "There were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there, as well. Want their names?"

"I'd _love_ them," Rita said, looking overwhelmed. She opened her bag once more as she went on wistfully, "A great bold headline: _Potter Accuses_… A subheading: _Harry Potter Names Death Eaters Still Among Us_. Then beneath a nice big photograph of you: _Disturbed teenage survivor of You-Know-Who's attack, Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters_—" She had her quill out of her bag when the sour look returned to her face. "But of course, Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want _that_ story out there, would she?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect _does_ want," Hermione answered.

"What?" Lucy asked as she, Jeremy, Harry, and Rita all stared at her, while Luna started singing a verse of "Weasley Is Our King" under her breath.

"You _want_ me to report what he says about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked.

"Yes, I do," Hermione replied firmly. "The true story—all the facts—exactly as Harry reports them. He'll give you all the details, he'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters he saw there, and he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now—oh, get a grip on yourself," Hermione added, throwing a balled-up napkin at Rita, who had jumped and spilled her drink on herself at hearing Voldemort's name.

Lucy felt Jeremy take her hand under the table and squeeze it; they both knew that Jeremy's father was one of the Death Eaters Harry saw the night Voldemort had returned.

"The _Prophet_ wouldn't print it," Rita said stubbornly. "In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. Now, if you let me write the story from _that_ angle—"

"We don't need another story about how Harry's lost his mind!" Lucy snapped. "We've had plenty of those already, thank you!"

"I want him given the opportunity to tell the truth!" Hermione added hotly.

"There's no market for a story like that," Rita insisted.

"You mean the _Prophet_ won't print it, because Fudge won't let them," Jeremy stated flatly.

Rita looked at him, frowning. "All right," she said after a moment. "Fudge is leaning on the _Prophet_, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back."

"So the _Daily Prophet_ exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" Hermione asked.

Rita glared at her over her drink. "The _Prophet_ exists to sell itself, you silly girl," she replied.

"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," Luna finally spoke up. She looked at Rita with her large, round eyes. "He publishes important stories that he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money."

Rita gave her a patronizing look. "I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she said snidely. "_Twenty-Five Ways to Mingle with Muggles_ and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly Sale?"

"No, he's the editor of _The Quibbler_," Luna replied simply.

Rita let out a loud guffaw, getting the attention of some of the neighboring tables. "_Important stories he thinks the public needs to know_?" she repeated. "I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag."

"Well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" Hermione said. "Luna says her father's quite happy to take Harry's interview. That's who'll be publishing it."

Rita laughed again. "_The Quibbler_!" she gasped between laughs. "You think people will take him seriously if he's published in _The Quibbler_?"

"Some people won't," Hermione said, shrugging, "but the _Daily Prophet_'s version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a—in a—well, an _unusual_ magazine—I think they might be rather keen to read it."

There was silence as Rita stared Hermione down. "All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," Rita said, sitting up straight. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"

"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," Luna said. "They do it because it's an honor, and, of course, to see their names in print."

Rita's eyes went wide. "I'm supposed to do this _for free_?" she demanded to know.

"Well, yes," Hermione answered. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the _Prophet_ might give you rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban.…"

Rita gave Hermione a calculating look. "I don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" she eventually said. She pulled out some parchment from her bag and set the tip of her quill on the page, where it balanced by itself.

"Daddy will be pleased," Luna added, smiling.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione said. "Ready to tell the public the truth?"

"I suppose," Harry said, looking up at Rita.

"Fire away, then, Rita," Hermione said, sitting back in her chair triumphantly.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: We are now 2/3 of the way through this story!**_


	23. 23: The Quibbler

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 23 – The Quibbler**

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione were very anxious to see the interview once it was published. Luna wasn't much help, saying she wasn't sure when the article would be printed, since her father was waiting on an article about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

"Of course, that'll be a very important story, so Harry's might have to wait for the following issue," Luna had said.

Lucy could tell Hermione was trying very hard not to roll her eyes.

At dinner that evening, Lucy, Harry, and Hermione were sitting beside Dean, Seamus, and Neville when Dean asked why they were looking so tense. Hermione explained to the boys what had happened in Hogsmeade that afternoon.

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you going public," Dean said, sounding impressed.

"It's the right thing to do, Harry," Neville commented. "It must have been—tough—talking about it.… Was it?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but people have got to know what Voldemort's capable of, haven't they?"

"That's right," Neville said strongly, "and his Death Eaters, too.… People should know.…" Lucy looked at Neville in concern, but he went back to stabbing his fork at his potatoes.

A few minutes later, Dean, Seamus, and Neville left for the common room. As Lucy watched them walk away, she noticed Cho entering the Great Hall, accompanied by her friend Marietta. Cho didn't spare one glance at the Gryffindor table, and she sat down with her back to Harry.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," Hermione said in a low voice, looking at the Ravenclaw table, as well. "What happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?"

Lucy had told Hermione that she and Jeremy had seen Cho running away from Hogsmeade before they met up in the Three Broomsticks. "Yeah, what the hell happened?" Lucy chimed in.

"Er—well, it was…" Harry stammered. He served himself another slice of rhubarb crumble before finishing, "It was a complete fiasco, now you mention it." He launched into telling the girls about what had happened at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

"—so then," he said, "she jumps up, right, and says, _I'll see you around, Harry,_ and runs out of the place!" He dropped his spoon unceremoniously onto the table and looked up at the girls. "I mean, what the hell was _that_ all about? _What_ was going on?"

Lucy and Hermione exchanged exasperated looks.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed. "Well, I'm sorry, but you _were_ a bit tactless."

"_Me_, tactless?" Harry exclaimed. "One minute, we were getting on fine. Next minute, she was telling me that Roger Davies asked her out and how she used to go and snog Cedric in that damn tea shop—how was I supposed to feel about _that_?"

"Well, for one, you shouldn't have told her that you wanted to meet up with Hermione halfway through your date," Lucy said evenly.

Harry, his eyes wide, turned to Hermione and stammered, "But—but—_you_ told me—meet you at twelve—and bring her along! How was I supposed to do that without telling her—?"

"You should have told her differently," Hermione explained. "You should have said it was really annoying, but I'd _made_ you promise to come along to the Three Broomsticks. You should have said that you really didn't want to go, and you'd much rather spend the whole day with her—but unfortunately, you thought you really ought to meet me. So would she please, _please_ come along with you, and hopefully you'd be able to get away more quickly?" There was a pause, and Hermione added, "It might have been a good idea to mention how ugly you think I am, too."

"Hermione Granger!" Lucy scolded. "You are not ugly!"

"I don't think you're ugly," Harry agreed, confused.

Hermione laughed lightly. "Harry, you're worse than Ron.… Well, no, you're not," she said. Her eyes widened, looking at the doors of the Great Hall.

Lucy turned to see Ron stomping into the hall, returning from Quidditch practice covered in mud, and then looked back at Harry. "Look—you upset Cho when you said you were going to meet Hermione," she told him, "so she tried to make you jealous. It was her way of trying to find out how much you like her, and it doesn't sound like you did a very good job."

"Is _that_ what she was doing?" Harry asked. "Well, wouldn't it have been easier if she'd just asked me whether I liked her better than Hermione?"

Ron had reached them and fell onto the bench next to Harry. He piled a plate full of food and began eating at once.

"Girls don't usually ask questions like that," Lucy informed Harry.

"Well, they should!" Harry insisted. "Then I could've just told her I fancy her, and she wouldn't have had to get herself all worked up again about Cedric dying!"

"We're not saying what she did was _sensible_," Hermione said. "We're just trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time."

"You two should write a book," Ron said, "translating mad things girls do, so boys can understand them."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, looking over at the Ravenclaw table, and Lucy glanced over to see Cho leaving the hall without looking back.

Ginny appeared then, also covered in mud and looking a bit upset. She sat down and began to serve herself dinner.

Harry looked between her and Ron and asked, "So, how was Quidditch practice?"

"It was a nightmare," Ron replied grumpily.

"Oh, come on," Hermione said, "I'm sure it wasn't that—"

"Yes, it was," Ginny interrupted. "It was appalling. Angelina was nearly in tears by the end of it."

"Poor Angelina," Lucy murmured.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner, Ron and Ginny went up to their dormitories to wash up. Lucy, Harry, and Hermione settled down at one of the tables in the common room to try and conquer some of their homework.

About half an hour into their work, Fred and George showed up.

"Ron and Ginny not here?" Fred asked.

Lucy and Harry shook their heads, and the twins sat around the table.

"Good," Fred went on. "We were watching their practice. They're going to be slaughtered. They're complete and utter _rubbish_ without us."

"Come on, Ginny's not bad," George said. He furrowed his brow and added, "Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us—"

"She's been breaking into your garden shed since she was six years old and taking each of your brooms out when you weren't around," Lucy informed them.

"Oh," George said. "Well—that'd explain it."

"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" Hermione asked, looking at the seventh-years over the top of her book.

"Well, he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him," Fred answered. "So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk amongst themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday." He stood up and walked over to the nearby window. Then he muttered, "You know, Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for."

Hermione looked up at him, appalled. "You've got exams coming!" she said sternly.

"We told you already: we're not fussed about N.E.W.T.s," Fred said, waving her off. "The Snackboxes are ready to roll—we found out how to get rid of those boils—just a couple of drops of murtlap essence sorts them. Lee put us onto it.…"

"I dunno if I even want to watch this match," George said through a yawn. "If Zacharias Smith beats us, I might have to kill myself."

"That's not funny," Lucy murmured.

"Kill him, more like," Fred amended.

"That's the trouble with Quidditch," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes. "It creates all this bad feeling and tension between the houses."

The boys stared at her, but Lucy shrugged. "It sort of does," she agreed. As much as she loved Quidditch, she saw what it did between the four houses.

"It's only a game, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, you're good on feelings and stuff," Harry sighed, "but you just don't understand Quidditch."

"Maybe not," Hermione snapped, "but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability."

Lucy snorted softly.

**~LJ:NK~**

The following Saturday was the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. It felt weird to Lucy to have Harry standing beside her, watching the match instead of playing. With the tense way he was standing, Lucy knew that he wanted more than anything to be in the air with his fellow Gryffindors.

The nicest way to describe the match was to call it a slaughter. Hufflepuff scored twenty-four times, which meant they got past Ron twenty-four times. The Gryffindor Beaters were _terrible_: one of them hit Angelina in the mouth with his bat, and the other screamed and fell off his broom when Zacharias flew towards him with the Quaffle. The Gryffindors' saving grace was that Ginny managed to catch the Snitch before the Hufflepuffs' Seeker, which made the final score two hundred and forty to two hundred and thirty.

"Good catch," Harry said to Ginny when they were all back in the common room.

"I was lucky," Ginny said dismissively. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch, and Summerby's got a cold—he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you're back on the team—"

"Ginny, I've got a lifelong ban," Harry interrupted.

"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny shot back. "There's a difference."

"That's a good point, actually," Lucy said. "Umbridge probably won't last the year anyway. None of our other defense teachers have.…"

Ginny nodded. "Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser," she continued. "Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year, and I think I prefer goal-scoring to seeking."

Harry nodded, looking over at where Ron was slumped in a corner with a butterbeer in his hand.

"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny told them. "She says she knows he's got it in him."

"At this point, it might be kinder to just let him leave," Harry muttered.

"I don't think Angelina has the time to try and find a new Keeper this late in the season," Lucy pointed out.

"I s'ppose that's true," Harry sighed.

Fred and George joined them, also looking at their brother.

"I haven't got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," Fred said sorrowfully. "Mind you—when he missed the fourteenth—" He waved his arms in the air. "Well, I'll save it for parties, eh?"

Ron, who thankfully didn't see Fred's display, went up to bed a few minutes later. Lucy and Hermione sat together near the fire for a while after Harry left, as well.

"It's like someone died," Lucy said in a low voice, looking around at her fellow housemates.

"I know," Hermione said, supervising her knitting needles as she made yet another hat for the house-elves. "Is Gryffindor out of the running for the cup?"

"I don't think so," Lucy replied. "If we can beat Ravenclaw, it'll come down to points, I think, but it would take a miracle to beat them at this rate. I have to say, though, that if I have to hear the Slytherins sing _Weasley Is Our King_ one more time, I'm going to scream."

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, they had hardly sat down when the morning mail arrived. Hermione received her copy of the _Daily Prophet_, and Lucy was unsurprised to see how many other people were now getting the paper. Ever since the ten Death Eaters had escaped, more students were interested in keeping up to date with what was happening in the outside world.

Lucy had barely started eating when another owl landed on the table next to them.

"Who're you after?" Harry asked. He looked at the envelope the owl had in its beak.

"Who's it for?" Lucy questioned as Harry continued to stare at the letter.

"_Me_," Harry answered, surprised. He reached forward to take the letter, but then another five owls landed nearby, all trying to deliver their letters to Harry.

"What's going on?" Ron wondered.

The other Gryffindors nearby looked over as more owls swooped down.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "I think I know what this means—open this one first!" She grabbed an owl that was carrying a package instead of a letter and held it out to Harry.

Harry took the package and tore it open. It was a copy of _The Quibbler_.

"Is it…?" Lucy trailed off as Harry stared at the front cover.

He slowly turned it around, so the others could see. There on the front was a large photo of Harry himself, with red letters under his face that read:

_Harry Potter Speaks Out at Last:  
The Truth About He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named  
And the Night I Saw Him Return_

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked, who had appeared from the Ravenclaw table. She plopped down onto the bench between Ron and Fred. "It came out yesterday. I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these are letters from readers." She gestured to the rest of the owls.

"That's what I thought," Hermione said. "Harry, d'you mind if we—?"

"Help yourself," Harry replied.

Lucy, Hermione, and Ron started pulling the letters out of the owls' beaks.

"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker," Ron reported. "Ah, well—"

"Yeah, this one's the same," Lucy said. "Thinks you should be locked up somewhere." She rolled her eyes as she set the letter aside.

"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's," Hermione said disapprovingly.

"This one thinks you're just trying to start some kind of conspiracy…" Lucy said, tossing the letter away.

"This one looks okay, though," Harry said, quickly reading through the letter in his hand. "Hey, she says she believes me!"

"This one's in two minds," Fred said, having eagerly joined in. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back. Now he doesn't know what to think.… Blimey, what a waste of parchment—"

"This one says they're suspicious of the _Prophet _now," Lucy said hopefully, although as she read the rest of the letter, she sighed. "He doesn't believe that You-Know-Who is back, though."

"Here's another one you've convinced, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "_Having read your side of the story, I am forced to the conclusion that the _Daily Prophet_ has treated you very unfairly.… Little though I want to think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, I am forced to accept that you are telling the truth.…_ Oh, this is wonderful!"

"Another one who thinks you're barking," Ron said. "This one, though, says you've got her converted, and now she thinks you're a real hero—she's put in a photograph, too—wow—"

"What's going on here?" a voice from behind Lucy asked, making them all jump. Umbridge was standing there, looking suspiciously at the pile of letters Harry had received. "Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" she questioned.

"Is that a crime now?" Fred said in a loud voice, making sure they had everyone's attention. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge said. "Well, Mr. Potter?"

Harry hesitated for a moment. "People have written to me because I gave an interview," he said, "about what happened to me last June."

Umbridge's eyes widened even further, if that was possible. "An interview?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean a reporter asked me questions, and I answered them," Harry said. "Here—" He tossed _The Quibbler_ to her.

She caught it and stared at the front cover. She flushed. "When did you do this?" she demanded.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry replied.

Umbridge was losing her cool, and Lucy was loving it. "There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "How you dare—how you could—" She stopped for a moment to compose herself. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

"How can you be giving him detentions for something he did outside of school?" Lucy asked hotly. "It's not any of your business what he does then."

Umbridge swelled up. "I am the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts," she stated angrily. "I may give students detentions for whatever I deem necessary. Twenty more points from Gryffindor, and if you say anything more, I will give _you_ detention, as well."

Lucy smirked, raising her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything more. Umbridge turned on her heel and stalked away.

"Fred, George," Lucy said once the professor was out of ear shot, "we need to get as many copies of _The Quibbler_ disguised and into the school as soon as possible. Luna, can you help them out?"

"I have a few extra copies in my dormitory," Luna replied.

"Why do they need to be disguised?" Fred asked quizzically.

"If she sees another copy of that magazine around, she's going to freak out," Lucy answered. "We need to distribute this as quickly as possible to the students who want to see it without her knowing what it is."

**~LJ:NK~**

Luna ended up having five copies of the latest issue, and she gladly handed them over to the Weasley twins. They went straight to work disguising them and making more copies of them. Then they spent all morning handing them out to other students.

After the first class of the day, large signs appeared all over the school.

_By Order Of  
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

_Any student found in possession of the magazine _The Quibbler_ will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven._

_Signed:  
Dolores Jane Umbridge  
High Inquisitor_

Lucy and Hermione exchanged gleeful looks when they saw the signs for the first time.

"What exactly are you so happy about?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Harry, don't you see?" Hermione said, and Harry shook his head.

"Banning _The Quibbler_ is the best thing she could have done, because now _everyone_ is going to want to read your interview!" Lucy explained, grinning. "She's just drawn so much attention to it!"

She was right: by the end of the day, nearly every student had read the interview. Fred and George had outdone themselves on disguising the magazine. They had handed out copies to nearly half the student body, and the whole school was abuzz about the article.

Throughout the day, Lucy was approached by multiple people asking about the interview. Hermione had, as well, and they both were quick to tell Harry that many of the students seemed convinced now.

Umbridge went on a rampage all day, stopping people in corridors and demanding to see their belongings. Since the magazine had been disguised so well, she never found a trace of the article, and she was furious as to how everyone seemed to have read it.

The other professors seemed very pleased about the interview, as well. They weren't allowed to talk about it, thanks to Decree Twenty-six, but they found ways to show Harry how grateful they were. Professor Sprout gave him twenty points when he passed her a watering can, and Professor Flitwick gave him a box of candy at the end of his class. Harry said even Professor Trelawney—instead of predicting his death as she usually did—told him that he would have twelve children, become Minister of Magic, and live to be quite old.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next day, before Transfiguration class, Cho met up with Harry just outside of their classroom to make up with him. Lucy and Hermione exchanged sly grins when Cho had left again, and Harry joined them, blushing slightly.

"Well, that looked like a good sign," Lucy said.

Harry shrugged and nodded at the same time.

Then Seamus stepped forward, surprising everyone. "I just wanted to say," he said to Harry, looking at the floor, "I believe you. And I've sent a copy of the magazine to me mam."

"Thanks," Harry said, looking embarrassed.

Later that afternoon, when Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the library, they spotted Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott huddled together near them. All four of the Slytherins looked at Harry menacingly but didn't say anything.

"The best bit is," Hermione said in a low, gleeful voice as they left the library, "they can't contradict you, because they can't admit they've read the article!"

"I dunno," Lucy said, frowning. "I have a feeling Umbridge wouldn't be so upset if she found out that they had read it."

At dinner, Luna came over to the Gryffindor table to tell them that this copy of _The Quibbler_ had sold out faster than any other before it.

"Dad's reprinting!" she said. "He can't believe it. He says people seem even more interested in this than the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!"

"Imagine that," Hermione muttered to Lucy.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, Fred and George threw a party in the common room for Harry. They had taken Harry's photo from the cover of _The Quibbler_ and blown it up, and it hung on one of the walls. The twins had also cast a charm on it so that the photo would say things like, "The Ministry are morons," and, "Eat dung, Umbridge." Lucy and Ron found it greatly amusing, but Hermione complained about how it was distracting her from her homework. She went up to bed fairly early.

Harry found himself surrounded by his fellow Gryffindors, answering questions they had about the interview. Soon after Hermione went upstairs, however, Harry announced he was tired, as well. He left for the boys' dormitories.

"Thanks for all your help," Lucy said to the twins a little while later as they sat in front of the fire.

"Dung!" the giant Harry photo said feebly; the spell that made it speak was beginning to wear off.

"No problem," Fred said, grinning. "Anything to help in the rebellion against Umbridge."

"Are you going to start the uprising, then?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe not quite yet," George said, "but it's got to happen. That old gargoyle is going to get what's coming to her. Although, in a way, we've already started the rebellion; we're all a part of the D.A., aren't we?"

"I guess you're right," Lucy said. "You two are still willing to lead us into battle, then?"

"You can count on us," Fred said with a wink.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next day during morning break, Harry told Lucy and Hermione that he had had another dream. This time he had been inside Voldemort himself, who'd been having a meeting with a Death Eater named Rookwood. Rookwood was among the group of Azkaban escapees, and he used to work in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry.

"Bode was under the Imperius Curse," Harry told the girls in a low voice. "I think they said that Malfoy had been the one to do it. Under the curse, they tried to force Bode to remove something from the Ministry… but Rookwood said Bode would have known that he couldn't remove the item."

"An item?" Lucy asked. "You don't think it could be—?"

"The weapon," Harry finished, nodding. "Apparently, a Death Eater named Avery gave Voldemort bad information."

"So _that's_ why they killed him," Hermione murmured. "When Bode tried to steal this weapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must be defensive spells on it—or around it—to stop people from touching it. That's why he was in St. Mungo's—his brain had gone all funny, and he couldn't talk. But remember what the Healer told us when we saw him?"

"He was _recovering_," Lucy said, remembering their visit over Christmas. "They—the Death Eaters—and Voldemort—they couldn't risk him getting better, otherwise he'd be able to talk about what happened to him.…"

"Right," Hermione said, nodding. "The shock of whatever happened when he touched that weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'd explain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have known he'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easy for Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry, is he?"

"He was even hanging around that day I had my hearing," Harry said. "In the—hang on.… He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day!" He looked at Ron. "Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing, but what if—?"

"Sturgis," Hermione said suddenly.

"Sorry?" Ron asked, frowning in confusion.

"Sturgis Podmore," Hermione replied. "Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him, too. I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak, right? So, what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move—or guessed he was there—or just did the Imperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there? So when Sturgis next had an opportunity—probably when it was his turn on guard duty again—he tried to get into the department to steal the weapon for Voldemort—Ron, be _quiet_—but he got caught and sent to Azkaban.…"

"So now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?" Lucy asked, looking at Harry.

"I didn't hear the entire conversation, but that's what it sounded like," Harry answered. "Rookwood used to work there.… Maybe Voldemort'll send Rookwood to do it?"

"But if Bode was an Unspeakable and he couldn't do it, surely Rookwood wouldn't be able to, would he?" Lucy pointed out.

There were a few moments of silence while the four Gryffindors pondered what this meant.

"But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry," Hermione spoke up.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sort of thing," Hermione clarified.

"I know I am," Harry replied, "but—"

"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," Hermione said firmly, "and you ought to put in a bit more effort on your Occlumency from now on."

**~LJ:NK~**

In the next few weeks, there was still a lot of talk about Harry's interview. The attention on him had died down a little, but a lot more of the students seemed at ease with him rather than frightened of him.

"Still no word from your parents about the article?" Lucy asked Jeremy one night. They were standing in the entrance hall close to the door to the Great Hall.

"No word," Jeremy answered. "There's always a chance that they haven't read it at all. The _Prophet_ is still refusing to print anything from Harry's side of the story, and as far as I know, my parents have never read _The Quibbler_."

Suddenly, there was a scream. Lucy and Jeremy looked bewilderedly around the entrance hall, but neither of them saw anything for a moment.

"There," Jeremy said, pointing to the top of the marble staircase. He stepped closer to Lucy, putting one hand to the small of her back.

Lucy looked to where he was pointing and saw Professor Trelawney stumbling backwards down the stairs, her wand in her hand. In her other hand was a bottle of sherry.

"You cannot do this!" she was shrieking to someone who Lucy couldn't see. The professor took a few more steps, tripped, and landed on the entrance hall floor.

"Professor!" Lucy gasped. She was about to take a step forward when Jeremy grabbed her arms and pulled her back.

"It's Umbridge," he whispered in her ear. He pulled her closer to him so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder.

Lucy looked back to the marble stairs and saw Umbridge slowly descending, levitating two trunks ahead of her. Then, with a flick of her wand, she sent the trunks flying down to the entrance hall. They landed in the middle of the floor.

"You cannot be serious!" Professor Trelawney shouted, struggling to get to her feet.

"I'm afraid I am quite serious," Umbridge replied in her sickly girlish voice.

Students began to trickle out of the Great Hall now, trying to find the source of the screaming.

"This—this—you _can't_!" Professor Trelawney cried.

"Pardon me," a voice from behind Lucy and Jeremy said. "What on earth is going on out here—?" Professor McGonagall had appeared from the Great Hall, and she stopped short when she saw the scene in front of her.

"In fact, you'll find that I _can_," Umbridge said to Professor Trelawney, grinning widely.

"No!" Professor Trelawney yelled. "NO! This cannot be happening.… It cannot—I refuse to accept it!"

"You didn't realize this was coming?" Umbridge asked. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections—and lack of any improvement—would make it inevitable you would be sacked!"

"You c-can't!" Professor Trelawney wailed. "You c-can't sack me! I've b-been here s-sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my home!"

"It _was_ your home," Umbridge corrected, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now, kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us." There was a look of almost pure joy on her face as she surveyed Professor Trelawney, who had sat down on one of her trunks.

Then Professor McGonagall was striding forward. She went to Professor Trelawney and put her arm around the woman's shoulders. She fished a handkerchief from her robes and held it out. "There, there, Sibyll.… Calm down.… Blow your nose on this," Professor McGonagall instructed gently. "It's not as bad as you think, now.… You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts—"

"Oh, really, Professor McGonagall?" Umbridge asked, her eyes flashing. She also took a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is—?"

The front doors of the castle swung open at that moment, and a voice said loudly, "That would be mine." Dumbledore swept into the entrance hall, looking powerful. He joined Professors McGonagall and Trelawney in the center of the hall.

"_Yours_, Professor Dumbledore?" Umbridge repeated. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here—" She pulled a scroll out of her robes. "—an Order of Dismissal signed by myself _and_ the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she—that is to say, I—feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch; I have dismissed her."

Dumbledore merely smiled pleasantly. "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge," he said evenly. "As High Inquisitor, you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."

Professor Trelawney let out a strange noise. "No—no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore!" she stated dramatically. "I sh-shall leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere—"

"No," Dumbledore commanded firmly. "It is my wish that you remain, Sibyll." He turned to Professor McGonagall and asked, "Might I ask you to escort Sibyll back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course," Professor McGonagall replied. "Up you get, Sibyll.…"

Professors Sprout and Flitwick came hurrying forward. Professor Sprout helped Professor McGonagall guide Professor Trelawney up the stairs, while Professor Flitwick levitated the two trunks behind them.

The focus of the student body shifted back to Umbridge and Dumbledore.

"What, may I ask, are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?" Umbridge asked.

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Dumbledore said. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."

Umbridge sputtered, "You've found—? _You've_ found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-two—"

"—the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if—and _only_ if—the headmaster is unable to find one," Dumbledore finished for her. "I am happy to say that, on this occasion, I have succeeded. May I introduce you?" He turned back to the front doors.

The sound of hooves was coming from beyond on the grounds, coming closer. A few moments later, a centaur appeared, trotting into the entrance hall.

"This is Firenze," Dumbledore said, smiling at the dumbstruck look on Umbridge's face. "I think you'll find him suitable."

**~LJ:NK~**


	24. 24: Found Out

_**A/N: There is a scene in this chapter that proves why this story is rated T... eyebrow waggle.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 24 – Found Out**

A few days later, Lucy was having breakfast with her fellow Gryffindor fifth-years. Lavender and Parvati seemed particularly excited, because the fifth-years who took Divination were having their first lesson with Firenze that morning.

"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" Parvati asked. She was examining her hair in the back of her spoon.

"Not really," Hermione said, not looking up from her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. "I've never really liked horses."

"He's not a horse! He's a centaur!" Lavender gasped.

"A _gorgeous_ centaur…" Parvati added wistfully.

"Either way, he's still got four legs," Hermione pointed out. "Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawney had gone?"

"We are!" Lavender exclaimed. "We went up to her office to see her. We took her some daffodils—not the honking ones that Sprout's got, _nice_ ones—"

"How is she?" Harry asked.

"Not very well, poor thing," Lavender sighed. "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle forever than stay here if Umbridge is still here, and I don't blame her. Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"

"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," Lucy said.

"Impossible," Ron said. "She can't get any worse than she's been already."

"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," Hermione said, folding up her newspaper.

"Especially another part human," Lucy added. "Didn't you see the look on her face when she saw Firenze?"

**~LJ:NK~**

After breakfast, Lucy and Hermione left the others to go to Arithmancy. When class was finished, they met back up with Harry and Ron.

"Firenze gave us a message for Hagrid," Harry said immediately. "He told me to tell Hagrid that his attempt is not working, and he would do better to abandon it."

"His attempt to do what?" Hermione asked. "What should he abandon?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "That's all Firenze said."

"So like a centaur," Lucy sighed. She and Hermione exchanged thoughtful glances.

"Well, it must be something in the forest," Hermione reasoned. "How else would Firenze know about it?"

"Why can't Firenze just tell Hagrid himself?" Lucy asked the boys.

"He's been kicked out of his herd for agreeing to help Dumbledore," Ron answered.

"I wonder if this attempt of his is what's getting him all those cuts and bruises," Hermione said.

"Well, maybe he'll tell us when we deliver the message," Harry said.

**~LJ:NK~**

It wasn't until a few weeks later that Harry was able to give Hagrid Firenze's message. Since Umbridge was still attending every one of their Care of Magical Creatures classes and they couldn't visit Hagrid in the evenings, Harry had to make an excuse to go back to Hagrid's cabin after class one day.

"So?" Lucy asked expectantly when Harry caught up with them again.

"Well, I gave him Firenze's message," Harry reported, "but he said that the attempt is going well, and that Firenze doesn't know what he's talking about. Then I asked him what he was up to, because Umbridge would sack him on the spot if she found out he was doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing, and he just said that there are things more important than keeping his job."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Ron said. "I'm almost surprised Umbridge has let him stay this long."

**~LJ:NK~**

Soon, April had arrived, soggy but with warmer weather. The teachers were now constantly reminding the fifth-years that their O.W.L.s were coming up. They were receiving more homework than ever, causing Lucy and her friends to have many late nights in the common room.

The stress was really beginning to show, as well. Hannah Abbott was the first student Lucy saw sent to Madam Pomfrey for a Calming Draught after she burst into tears in Herbology, saying she wanted to leave school.

Thankfully, Lucy still had the D.A. to look forward to. Everyone in the group had massively improved—even Dennis Creevey, who was the youngest one.

During their last meeting before the Easter holidays, Harry finally let them practice the Patronus Charm, which was something they had all been looking forward to. Many of them were able to produce their Patronus. Harry had to remind them that casting the charm in the middle of a classroom with no threat around was much easier than if they were facing a dementor.

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," Cho said, watching her swan Patronus fly around the room. "They're so pretty!"

"They're not supposed to be _pretty_," Harry said patiently. "They're supposed to protect you. What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned. I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor—"

"But that would be really scary!" Lavender interrupted, waving her wand again. Nothing but silver vapors were coming out of the end of it. "And I—still—can't—do it!"

Lavender wasn't the only one having problems casting her Patronus. Neville was also only making silvery wisps come out of his wand.

"You've got to think about something happy," Lucy told him, watching as her own cat Patronus drifted lazily around her head; it looked just like Evie.

"I'm trying," Neville said, his face screwed up in concentration.

"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" Seamus called from the opposite side of the room. This was his first D.A. meeting ever, and he was determined to make up for his behavior from earlier in the year. "Look—ah—it's gone… but it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"

"They _are_ sort of nice, aren't they?" Hermione commented. Her Patronus was an otter, and it was swimming through the air near her.

"Hopefully we'd be able to produce one in a dangerous situation," Jeremy added from next to Lucy, watching in amazement as a stallion burst from the end of his wand, charging across the room and back. Lucy's cat floated over to the stallion and sat on its back.

Suddenly, the door to the Room of Requirement opened and closed. Everyone looked around, but Lucy didn't see anyone there.

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said.

Lucy turned to see Dobby clutching onto Harry's robes.

"What are you—what's wrong?" Harry asked, sounding concerned.

The remaining Patronuses in the room vanished as everyone stared at the house-elf, who looked quite fearful.

Dobby started, "Harry Potter, sir—Harry Potter, sir—Dobby has come to warn you—but the house-elves have been warned not to tell—"

Then he was sprinting towards the wall. Harry lunged after the elf but missed. Thanks to the tower of knit hats on Dobby's head, however, he merely bounced off the wall, unharmed. Hermione and some other people let out noises of sympathy.

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, holding Dobby's arm securely so he couldn't attempt to harm himself again.

"Harry Potter—she—she—" Dobby stammered. He hit himself with his free hand, and Harry grabbed it.

"Who's _she_, Dobby?" Harry asked.

"Umbridge?" Lucy questioned softly, her heart rate increasing.

Dobby nodded before trying to hit his head against Harry's knee.

"What about her?" Harry pressed. "Dobby—she hasn't found out about this—about us—about the D.A.?" Dobby stared at Harry, trying to kick himself, and Harry sunk onto his knees. "Is she coming?" he asked.

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!" Dobby cried.

Harry stood up and looked around the room for a moment. "_What are you fucking waiting for_?" he shouted. "RUN!"

Nobody wasted time running for the exit. Jeremy grabbed onto Lucy's hand, and they joined the group of students pushing through the door.

"Harry, come on!" Hermione yelled from behind Lucy somewhere.

Lucy and Jeremy made it out into the corridor. "This way!" Lucy said, tugging Jeremy's hand to follow her.

They rushed off down the hall, skidding around the corner and down a flight of stairs.

"In here!" Jeremy said, stopping suddenly. He yanked open a cupboard door and pulled Lucy inside with him.

They shut the door and leaned against the back wall, breathing heavily.

"We need to calm down," Lucy said. "If someone catches us, it'll look too suspicious if we're out of breath. Too bad we don't have any of that Calming Draught Madam Pomfrey's giving out."

"Just take deep breaths," Jeremy said. He took Lucy's face in both of his hands and rested his forehead against hers.

The butterflies in Lucy's stomach fluttered to life. Being this close to Jeremy wasn't making it easier for her to even her breathing out. They were alone, and although the inside of a broom cupboard wasn't romantically ideal, Lucy had been wanting to be alone with Jeremy for a long time.

Jeremy's eyes flicked up and met Lucy's. They stared at each other for a moment, the atmosphere growing more tense as the seconds ticked by. The situation they had just been in was pushed immediately to the back of Lucy's mind.

Then Jeremy asked in a low voice, "Can I—?"

"Please," Lucy whimpered quickly.

Jeremy, cradling the back of Lucy's head, pulled her into him and kissed her hard on the mouth. Lucy fisted his shirt and kissed him back. The kiss became more desperate, and they were soon wrapped up close to each other.

They continued to embrace for another few minutes before Jeremy's hands began drifting out of Lucy's hair and down to the front of her uniform shirt. Lucy froze, and Jeremy stopped, as well.

"I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips. "I'll stop. I don't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable—"

"No, it's okay," Lucy said quickly, surprising herself. "I just—this is all very new to me."

"Me, too," Jeremy assured her before kissing her again.

Then he very slowly undid the top button of her shirt as he continued to kiss her. Lucy's heartbeat escalated even more as Jeremy moved down the buttons, undoing all of them. He pushed his hands very gently under the now-loose fabric and rested them on the bare skin of her hips, and he didn't make any moves to touch her anywhere else until she gave him the okay.

It felt so odd to Lucy for someone to be touching her in such an intimate way. Part of her was slightly embarrassed, having never been even partially undressed in front of a boy before, but another part of her felt downright content.

Lucy let her hands drift downwards, as well, and when she reached the waist of Jeremy's pants, she grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled up. After she had untucked his shirt, she unbuttoned it, too. _It's only fair_, she thought to herself. Then she gently touched his bare chest with her hands.

This time it was Jeremy who froze, but it was because he was chuckling. "Your hands are cold," he murmured.

"Yeah," Lucy said, "they do that sometimes."

Jeremy released Lucy's hips and took her face in his hands again. He kissed her softly but briefly.

"I don't want to stop this," Jeremy said, sounding disappointed, "but we should probably stop this. We really should be getting back to our common rooms."

"You're probably right," Lucy said. She reached up, gently pulled Jeremy's left hand away from her face, and checked the watch on his wrist. "Five to nine," she reported.

Jeremy nodded his understanding, rubbing his right thumb against Lucy's temple. Then he dropped his hands from her and took a step away. Lucy felt immediately self-conscious about the fact that her shirt was still open, so she quickly began to button it back up.

"Are you sure you're okay with what we did?" Jeremy asked quietly.

Lucy looked up and saw that he wasn't looking back at her; he was concentrating on buttoning up his own shirt.

"Of course I'm okay with it," Lucy said. "I'm just a little self-conscious, because—well, nobody's seen me like this, and—but it was nice," she added, blushing furiously.

Jeremy looked up at Lucy with a smirk on his face. He had finished buttoning his shirt, and he pulled Lucy back into his arms. "I thought it was nice, too," he agreed before leaning down and kissing her again. Then he sighed and added, "I wonder if everyone else got away. I hope Mary and Daphne got back to our common room safely."

"I want to know how Umbridge found out about us," Lucy said. "Well, come on. We'd better go. If anyone asks where you were, say the library."

"I will," Jeremy said. He pressed a kiss onto Lucy's mouth one more time, and then he let go of her.

Lucy pushed the cupboard door open slowly, looking around for signs of Umbridge. "The coast is clear," Lucy said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Same to you," Jeremy said.

Then they parted ways.

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy walked slowly back to the common room, thinking about everything that had happened in the broom cupboard. She had really enjoyed it, even though she was glad that it hadn't gone any further than it had; she was not ready to be doing anything more than that.

When she reached the corridor outside Gryffindor tower, Lucy's thoughts shifted to the D.A. She hoped that everyone else was all right and wondered how Umbridge could have found out about them.

She reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, gave the password, and climbed through portrait hole.

"Lucy!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're all right! Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," Lucy answered, although she felt herself flush. "I'm fine. Did everybody else make it back?" She looked around at the group of Gryffindors huddled together, all of whom were looking shaken.

"Everyone except—well…" Hermione said, biting her lip anxiously.

"Where's Harry?" Lucy asked, a feeling of dread curling in her stomach. There were several shrugs throughout the group, and Lucy cursed quietly, "Damn it. Probably the one person we _really_ didn't want to get caught."

"Well, maybe he's still hiding out somewhere," Hermione suggested hopefully.

"If he was hiding out, he should have been able to make it back by now," Ron said in a low voice.

Lucy resignedly joined the rest of the group in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

**~LJ:NK~**

After about ten minutes, Lucy looked up suddenly. "Can you hear whispering?" she asked Ginny, who was sitting next to her.

Ginny frowned. "Shut up for a minute," she shushed the other D.A. members.

They all quieted as Lucy and Ginny strained their ears to find the source of the hissing.

"It's coming from there!" Ginny announced, pointing at one of the paintings on the wall.

Everyone turned to look at it, and they noticed that there was a figure in the portrait that didn't belong there. It was whispering to the occupants of the painting.

"What are you whispering about?" Lucy asked, standing up and walking over to the picture.

The figure gasped in surprise before turning to see the group of students standing in front of him. "Good evening," he said, sweeping his hat off his head and bowing low. "I just had some business to attend to with these lovely people." He gestured to the occupants of the photo.

"Cut the crap," Lucy scoffed. "You were _whispering_. Since when did portraits _whisper_, unless they didn't want us to hear it? _What_ _happened_?"

"I recognize you," Neville spoke up from the middle of the group. "You're in a painting in Dumbledore's office, aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am, good fellow," the man said, "but we were just gossiping. Nothing important, you see—"

"If it's not important, why can't you tell us?" Ginny asked, and the others around her murmured their agreement.

"Well—well—all right, all right," the man said. "It seems that Dumbledore has had a little argument with the Minister of Magic tonight."

"Fudge was here?" Fred asked.

"Yes," the man said, looking pleased to have such rapt attention. "The High Inquisitor called him and a few Aurors to come into the school tonight. She claimed to have apprehended a student who was in charge of an illegal organization."

"Who?" Ginny demanded to know. "Who did she apprehend?"

"Well, Mr. Harry Potter, of course," the man explained. "He and Dumbledore then informed the minister that the headmaster had formed a group of students called Dumbledore's Army, and that they were to have their first meeting tonight. Naturally, the minister was going to arrest Dumbledore for plotting against him, but Dumbledore managed to escape."

"Dumbledore told the minister that _he_ was responsible for forming the group?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore escaped?" Lucy repeated. "You mean he isn't here anymore? He's left Hogwarts?"

"That's what I said," the man in the portrait replied, nodding. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other paintings to inform." Then he stepped sideways out of the portrait and disappeared before anyone could question him further.

There was shocked silence for a few seconds.

Before anyone could say anything, they heard the portrait hole opening behind them. They all turned to see Harry step into the common room, looking exhausted.

"Harry!" Lucy exclaimed. "You have to tell us what happened! There was a man from a painting in Dumbledore's office who was just here telling us that Dumbledore is gone!"

"How did Umbridge find out about us?" Hermione added.

Harry sunk into a chair, and the Gryffindor D.A. members crowded around him. "Malfoy caught me before I could escape," Harry explained. "He and some of his Slytherin friends are helping Umbridge for some reason. She must be offering them something in return. Everyone else made it back okay, though?" He glanced around, a look of relief on his face as he counted them all.

"Tell us what happened!" Ginny demanded for them all.

Harry sighed. "Umbridge took me to Dumbledore's office," he began. "Fudge was there, and—and Percy—" Lucy and the Weasleys exchanged dark looks. "—and two Aurors. Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklebolt." He paused to shoot a meaningful look to Lucy, Hermione, and the Weasleys. "So, then they brought in the person who gave us up. It was Marietta."

"Cho's friend?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "She had the word _sneak_ written in pimples on her face. How did that happen, by the way?"

Hermione flushed. "Well, like I told you, if anyone told on us, we'd be able to know," she said. "I put a jinx on the list that would do that to anyone who reported us."

"Brilliant," Ron said, looking at Hermione with his jaw hung open.

"Umbridge said that someone in the Hog's Head had overheard us when we were forming the group," Harry continued. "Some bloke named Willy. That's why she put the decree into place that banned student organizations."

"So I was half-right," Ron said. "I _said_ someone must have told on us."

"Then Umbridge asked Marietta if we had been meeting for the last six months, since we wouldn't be in trouble if we hadn't had any meetings," Harry said. "For some reason, Marietta said that we hadn't had a meeting since we met in the Hog's Head."

"Did she change her mind and want to help us?" Fred asked.

"No," Harry said. "I think someone in the room _made_ her say no."

"Dumbledore?" Dean spoke up.

"Maybe," Harry said evenly. "Well, then Umbridge got upset and started shaking Marietta, and Dumbledore finally raised his wand to her. Then Umbridge showed the others that Pansy Parkinson, who had been helping her, had gone into the Room of Requirement and found the list of names. So she knows which of us were part of the group—_and_ what we named it."

"Bet Fudge didn't like that," George said, smirking.

"He didn't," Harry replied. "That's when Dumbledore decided to take the fall for us. He told Fudge that _he_ had organized the group, and Fudge accused him of conspiring against the Ministry. But when Fudge attempted to arrest Dumbledore, Dumbledore escaped."

"How did he escape?" Neville asked anxiously.

"Fawkes," Harry answered simply. "His phoenix. Phoenixes are really magically powerful, so Fawkes was able to transport Dumbledore away from the school. Then McGonagall escorted me back here."

There was silence for a moment while the Gryffindors around Harry processed what he had witnessed.

"What's going to happen now that Dumbledore is gone?" Sally-Anne asked in a small voice.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he said.

In the next few minutes, the others in the group moved away, leaving Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone.

"There's more," Harry said in a low voice once everyone else was out of earshot.

"What?" Lucy asked sharply.

"Sh!" Harry hissed. "The reason Marietta told Umbridge and the others that we hadn't been meeting for the last six months was because Kingsley modified her memory."

"Right there in front of the Minister?" Ron asked, looking impressed.

"Then, before Dumbledore escaped, he hexed Fudge, Umbridge, Dawlish, and Kingsley," Harry continued, "although he only hexed Kingsley to make it look less suspicious. Then he told McGonagall that Fudge would regret what he had done, making Dumbledore leave. He told me that I had to work really hard on my Occlumency and that I had to concentrate on closing my mind—he told me I'd understand someday. But when he touched my wrist, I—I wanted to attack him. I felt like I was the snake again, and I wanted to bite him." Harry stopped abruptly, looking horrified.

"This is why he wants you to learn Occlumency," Lucy said gently, patting Harry on the arm. "If you learn to close your mind, hopefully these feelings will go away."

Harry nodded glumly.

"We should get to bed," Hermione added firmly. "There is no way we're going to be able to get any homework done tonight."

As Lucy climbed the stairs to her dormitory a few minutes later, she couldn't help the feeling of dread and helplessness that was settling in her heart. No Dumbledore meant that Umbridge would surely have more free reign over the school. Lucy wasn't sure how much more of Umbridge she could take.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I really wanted Lucy's and Jeremy's physical relationship to start growing in this story. They're at the age where they're not going to be satisfied with just kissing anymore. Their relationship has always been mostly behind the scenes, but I wanted to show that change in their physical relationship when they are alone. And I know to some people that what they did is hardly anything, but they are only 15 (Lucy) and 16 (Jeremy), so this is both very new to them.**_

_**Gossip and information spreads very quickly around Hogwarts, and I always wondered how. The idea that the portraits (and perhaps the ghosts) assist in that was one that I liked, so that's how the scene where the portrait tells the others what happened came about.**_


	25. 25: Fireworks

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 25 – Fireworks**

The next morning, a sign went up all around the school.

_By Order Of  
The Ministry of Magic_

_Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight._

_Signed:  
Cornelius Oswald Fudge  
Minister of Magic_

The whole school knew the story of how Dumbledore had escaped from the Minister, Umbridge, and two Aurors the night before. Lucy expected that the paintings had a lot to do with the students' extensive knowledge. Of course, as the story flew around the school, some versions of it became a bit far-fetched.

"I heard the minister is in St. Mungo's with a pumpkin for a head!" Lucy heard a second-year girl say to her friends that afternoon.

"Really, a fucking _pumpkin_?" Lucy asked Jeremy in a quiet voice. "These stories are getting crazier by the hour."

All throughout the day, Harry was bombarded with questions, as all the students seemed to know that he and Marietta were the only two witnesses. Marietta was currently in the hospital wing, so she was unable to answer any questions.

Ernie eagerly asked for the story at the end of Herbology, and Harry recounted it for him.

"Dumbledore will be back before long," Ernie said as he, Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked back up to the school after class. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year, and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me—" He lowered his voice. "—that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her. Apparently, she had a right little tantrum.…"

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office," Hermione said darkly. They had reached the front stairs and entered the castle as Hermione went on, "Lording it over all the other teachers—the stupid, puffed-up, power-crazy old—"

"Now, do you _really_ want to finish that sentence, Granger?" a voice asked from behind them. They all turned to see Malfoy walking towards them, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. The Slytherins stopped, and Malfoy added, "Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"You can't take points from fellow prefects, Malfoy," Ernie said promptly.

"I know _prefects _can't dock points from each other," Malfoy said, grinning evilly, "but members of the Inquisitorial Squad—"

"The _what_?" Lucy asked, wrinkling her nose.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Jones," Malfoy repeated, pointing out the silver _I_ badge pinned to his robes underneath his prefect one. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Minister of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge herself. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad _do_ have the power to dock points.… So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress—Macmillan, five for contradicting me—five from Jones for interrupting me—" Lucy rolled her eyes as Malfoy continued, "Five because I don't like you, Potter—Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that.… Oh, yeah, I forgot—you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that—"

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione immediately pushed his wrist away. "Don't!" she hissed at him.

"Wise move, Granger," Malfoy said, smirking. "New Head, new times.… Be good, now, Potty… Weasel King.…" He turned and sauntered away, Crabbe and Goyle in his wake.

"He was bluffing," Ernie said, looking horrified. "He can't be allowed to dock points—that would be ridiculous.… It would completely undermine the prefect system—"

"I don't think Umbridge gives a damn about the prefect system right now, Ernie," Lucy said.

Ernie shrugged helplessly and departed for lunch.

Lucy glanced over at the hourglasses on the wall next to the door of the Great Hall. The four glasses kept track of the house points. As Lucy and the others watched, various stones from the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw bulbs flew upwards, subtracting points from the houses.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred and George were walking over to the fifth-years, looking annoyed.

"Malfoy just docked us about fifty points," Harry said, glaring as more rubies flew up from the Gryffindor hourglass.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," George said.

"What do you mean, _tried_?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"He never managed to get all the words out," Fred answered, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor."

Lucy, Ron, and Harry all let out laughs, but Hermione looked appalled. "You'll get into terrible trouble!" she insisted.

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks," Fred said dismissively. "I dunno where we sent him. Anyway… we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" Hermione asked.

"'Course we have," George said. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," Fred added.

"That might be up for debate," Lucy said, grinning at the twins.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," George agreed, smirking back.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred finished.

"But now?" Ron asked.

"Well, now—" George said.

"—what with Dumbledore gone—" Fred continued.

"—we reckon a bit of mayhem—" George went on.

"—is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," Fred ended satisfactorily.

"So you're going to start the rebellion, then?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"We told you we'd be ready to lead the students into battle," George replied, winking.

"You mustn't!" Hermione gasped. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" George said gently. "We don't care about staying anymore. We've been banned from the Quidditch team, the D.A. was busted, and there's no point for us to take our N.E.W.T.s. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first."

"So, with that in mind," Fred said, checking his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you—that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," George said. "Run along, now."

"Hey!" Lucy shouted after them as they turned to go. They glanced over their shoulders at her, and she said, "Be careful."

"We always are," Fred said, snapping off a quick salute. Then they were gone, pushing through the crowd heading into the Great Hall.

"I think we _should _get out of here, you know," Hermione said quietly. "Just in case…"

"Yeah, all right," Ron agreed, and the four of them entered the Great Hall.

Lucy followed Hermione a few steps when they heard a voice behind them.

"The headmistress would like to see you, Potter." Filch was standing in front of Harry, smiling wickedly.

"I didn't do it," Harry said automatically.

"Guilty conscience, eh?" Filch asked. "Follow me.…"

Harry looked back at his friends helplessly, but all they could do was shrug. He left with Filch.

"I wonder what she wants with him," Hermione said aloud as she and Ron took a seat at the Gryffindor table, and Lucy sat across from them.

"Who wants what with who?" Jeremy had arrived, sitting down next to Lucy and kissing her quickly on the cheek.

"Harry was just called into Umbridge's office," Lucy told him. "So, how is it living with the Inquisitorial Squad?"

"It's the same as always," Jeremy replied. "They won't dock points from their own house, but they've been giving out some excessive detentions to some of our housemates."

"I can't believe she's getting away with this," Hermione seethed. "An Inquisitorial Squad that can take points away from any student they want and for any reason? It's completely ridiculous!"

"You heard Fred and George," Ron said. "They're going to give her something to worry about."

"They've been saying that for months, and they have yet to follow through," Hermione countered, frowning.

"I think they're serious this time, though," Lucy said. "You heard them—something about phase one about to begin.…"

Hermione's forehead wrinkled, still looking unconvinced. The rest of them began their lunch in silence.

Then there was an explosion.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Lucy asked, jumping up from the bench, and her friends were quickly on their feet, as well.

"It's coming from upstairs somewhere," Ron said.

The four of them ran down the Great Hall, along with many of the other students. They skidded across the entrance hall and hurtled up the stairs.

When they reached the first floor, the first thing they saw a dragon made of green and gold sparks flying above the students' heads. Looking around, Lucy saw some rockets whizzing around the corridor and a pack of sparklers writing curse words in the air.

"Fireworks!" she exclaimed, grinning as she glanced at Jeremy.

"Why aren't they fading away?" Hermione asked, looking puzzled yet intrigued.

They watched as a group of shooting stars zoomed past them.

"Do you think this was Fred's and George's big plan?" Ron asked.

"It has to be," Lucy replied.

They walked down the corridor, watching the different fireworks flying around.

Suddenly, Umbridge and Filch stumbled down a set of stairs. "Hurry, Filch, hurry!" Umbridge shouted, her wand held high above her head. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something—_Stupefy_!" Her spell burst from the end of her wand and collided with a nearby rocket.

Unfortunately for the High Inquisitor, the firework didn't freeze; instead, it exploded with a loud bang, puncturing a hole in a nearby painting.

"Don't Stun them, Filch!" Umbridge commanded.

Lucy snorted, knowing that since Filch was a Squib, he wouldn't have been able to Stun the fireworks in the first place.

"Right you are, Headmistress!" Filch cried. He opened a cupboard, pulled out a broom, and began waving it at a passing dragon. Soon the head of the broom was on fire.

"This is fucking _amazing_," Lucy said with a huge grin on her face.

**~LJ:NK~**

Throughout the rest of the day, the fireworks spread around the school. They excelled at interrupting classes, and surprisingly, the other professors didn't seem to mind the intrusions.

"Dear, dear," Professor McGonagall sighed during Transfiguration. A dragon had flown into the classroom, spitting flames from its mouth. "Miss Brown," Professor McGonagall said, "would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"

Professor McGonagall wasn't the only teacher who was calling Umbridge to get rid of the fireworks. Umbridge spent the entire afternoon being summoned to help out. It didn't seem like any of the other teachers were trying hard to destroy the fireworks.

At the end of the day, as Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were heading back to Gryffindor Tower, they passed Umbridge emerging from Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"Thank you so much, Professor!" Professor Flitwick said from the doorway. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the _authority._…" Then he shut the door in Umbridge's face.

Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione chuckled all the way back to the common room. Once inside, they found Fred and George swarmed by their fellow Gryffindors. The four fifth-years waited their turn until they were able to push through the crowd to congratulate the twins.

"That was amazing!" Lucy squealed, throwing her arms around first Fred and then George.

"They _were_ wonderful fireworks," Hermione agreed.

"Thanks," George said, looking pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock. We're going to have to start again from scratch now.…"

"Bet it was worth it, though!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It was totally worth it," Fred agreed, pausing his writing for a moment. He was taking orders from their eager housemates. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe.…"

Hermione, looking a bit flustered, shook her head. Harry and Ron didn't put their names down, either, but Lucy quickly signed her name for a Basic Blaze box. She handed over five Galleons, as well, earning a cheeky grin from George.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner, Lucy, Ron, and Harry made to work on their homework when Hermione stopped them. "Oh, why don't we have a night off?" she suggested, beaming as a silver rocket flew past the window outside. "After all, the Easter holidays start tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time then.…"

Lucy, Ron, and Harry stared at her in shock.

"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked.

"Now that you mention it," Hermione began slyly, "d'you know—I think I'm feeling a bit… _rebellious_."

"Yes!" Lucy shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "We're going to take back Hogwarts!"

Hermione laughed and shook her head.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next night, Lucy met with Jeremy in the library. Even though it was the night before the Easter holidays started, they had decided to have a study date. Lucy figured that the more homework she got done before the holidays, the more time she'd have to study for her O.W.L.s during the break.

"Good evening," Jeremy said, joining Lucy at an empty table. "Are you ready for a riveting study date?"

"Oh, you know it," Lucy said sarcastically.

Jeremy grinned and quickly kissed her temple.

They worked for nearly two hours on their homework before deciding to call it a night. Lucy looked up from her Potions essay and stretched. She glanced around and was surprised to see Harry slinking into the library; she thought he was supposed to be at his Occlumency lesson with Snape.

"Harry?" she called to him.

Harry jumped a little before turning to see Lucy. Lucy noticed that he looked upset.

"Oh, hi," he mumbled, coming over to the table. "What are you two up to? I didn't expect to see anyone here.… It's the night before the holiday."

"We had an early study date," Lucy explained. "We figured that we should try and get some of our homework out of the way, so that we can start studying for our O.W.L.s. Sit down." Harry complied, still looking grim, and Lucy asked, "What happened? Shouldn't you be at your Occlumency lesson?"

"Nothing happened," Harry answered quickly. "They—uh—found Montague in an upstairs toilet, so Snape had to see to that."

"What do you mean, they _found_ Montague?" Jeremy asked, looking puzzled.

"Fred and George pushed him into the Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor yesterday before lunch," Lucy told him. "I'm surprised that it took him over a day to reappear, but I guess it's good that he wasn't missing for long."

"I guess," Harry mumbled in agreement.

There was a moment of silence.

"You're taking Occlumency lessons?" Jeremy spoke up, and Harry nodded. "Why's that?" Jeremy asked.

"I've been… having weird dreams about Voldemort," Harry answered vaguely. "Dumbledore wanted to help me stop having them."

"Occlumency's not easy," Jeremy commented. "It took me nearly three years to start getting the hang of it—"

"You've studied Occlumency?" Lucy asked, staring at him.

"Yeah," Jeremy replied simply.

"Did your dad teach you?" Harry asked.

"My mother, actually," Jeremy answered. He took a heavier breath and continued, "Growing up in my house, I learned very early on to keep secrets. My mother always took whatever measures she needed to make sure that I would always be protected. So, when I was about six, she started to teach me Occlumency."

"When you were _six_?" Harry repeated, his voice full of disbelief.

"Like I said, she really wanted me to be protected," Jeremy said.

"So you mastered Occlumency when you were nine?" Harry asked.

"Oh, no," Jeremy said, shaking his head. "No, I was just finally getting the hang of it when I was nine. I wouldn't even consider myself a master now. Occlumency takes a strange kind of endurance, and if you really want to be good, you'll have to keep at it for a very long time."

Harry frowned. "I don't have a long time," he said. "Dumbledore wanted me to learn it as soon as I could, but I just can't get the hang of it."

Jeremy looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Occlumency is heavily dependent on the person being able to control their emotions," he said slowly. "If you can teach yourself to compartmentalize your feelings and memories, you'll have a bit of an easier time at it."

"Well, no wonder you're having trouble," Lucy said.

Harry glared at her. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"It means that you wear your emotions on your sleeve," Lucy explained. "You are one of the easiest people in the world to read. You react with your heart much more often than with your head. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with that, but I can see why it would make it more difficult for you to learn Occlumency."

There was another pause, and then Jeremy stood up. "I think I'll be heading back to my common room," he said. "I'll see you both later." He briefly kissed Lucy good-bye, waved at Harry, and then left the library.

Lucy turned back to Harry and studied him for a moment. He still seemed a bit upset about something, and he refused to look at her. He fiddled with the sleeve of his robes instead.

He began, "Well, I suppose we should—"

"Something happened," Lucy interrupted. "Something happened tonight at your lesson. Out with it."

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry muttered.

"Harry Potter, I know you well enough by now to know when something's bothering you," Lucy scolded, "and you'll feel much better when you tell someone what's wrong—and by _someone_, I mean me."

Harry scowled. "I saw Cho before I went to Snape's office," he began. "She tried to tell me that Marietta was a _lovely person who made a mistake_." He scoffed. "How could Cho think that after her friend sold us all out?"

"Sometimes we don't want to see the flaws of the people we're closest to," Lucy suggested, shrugging.

"Well, then Cho said that Hermione should have told us that she'd jinxed the list," Harry continued, "and then we had a bit of a row. She stormed off."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "If you don't mind me saying, I don't think you two are meant for each other," she said. "On paper, you seem like you'd be mighty cute together, but the way you two argue…"

Harry nodded, falling silent again.

Lucy surveyed him for a moment. "There's something else," she guessed.

Harry glanced up at her, surprised. "How do you do that?" he asked.

"Please, like I said, I can read you like a book," Lucy answered. "Something must have happened in Snape's office."

Harry let out a long sigh. "Before I tell you anything, can you promise to keep this to yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," Lucy replied immediately. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in both hands.

"After Snape left to help Montague, I saw a Pensieve sitting on his desk," Harry said. "Do you remember what a Pensieve is?"

"Isn't it the bowl with all the memories inside it?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered, nodding. "I saw all those past Ministry trials in Dumbledore's last year. Anyway, Snape had one sitting on his desk, and my curiosity got the better of me."

"Oh, Harry, you _didn't_," Lucy groaned.

"I couldn't help it," Harry admitted. "I was still angry about the argument with Cho. Then Malfoy was the one to deliver the news about Montague to Snape, so he thought I was there for Remedial Potions.… I just dove head first into the Pensieve."

"You really need to learn the concept of personal space sometime," Lucy murmured.

Harry glared at her. "Do you want me to tell you what fucking happened or not?" he growled.

"Yes, yes, sorry," Lucy said hastily.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "the memory I dropped into was one of Snape when he was a student at Hogwarts. He was sitting his Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. I saw my dad, Sirius, and Lupin, too. When their exam was over, they all went outside for some fresh air." Lucy listened carefully, very intrigued since Harry had mentioned their father, as Harry went on, "So, my dad and Sirius—they started to mess with Snape. They jinxed him a couple of times—"

"What?" Lucy gasped, unable to help herself.

"It wasn't anything too harmful," Harry was quick to defend. "Then—then my mother arrived. She defended Snape, telling my dad to leave him alone. She called my dad a bully and a—a toerag. She seemed to really dislike him. Dad tried asking her out, promising he'd leave Snape alone if she said yes, but she told him there was no chance. Snape then sent a curse at Dad, and Dad immediately levitated him in the air. My mum kept telling Dad to let Snape down, and eventually he did."

"If they disliked each other so much, how did they end up together?" Lucy interrupted. Harry gave her a look, and she quickly added, "Sorry, go on."

"So then, Snape called my mum a Mudblood," Harry continued, a look of anger crossing his face for a moment, "and my dad told him to apologize. My mum just got angrier at both of them and left, and my dad went back to—to bullying Snape. That's when Snape—present-day Snape, that is—found me watching the memory."

"Wow," Lucy breathed. "Was he upset?"

"He was the angriest I've ever seen him," Harry answered. "He told me that he was done giving me Occlumency lessons and to get out of his office. He threw a glass jar at me as I left."

"You should report him for that!" Lucy exclaimed. "I know that you looked into his Pensieve without his permission, but he shouldn't be throwing things at a student!"

"No," Harry insisted, "and you can't tell anyone I told you any of this, since I told Snape I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Lucy said. "So… are you all right?"

"Ye—no," Harry changed his answered mid-word, and Lucy felt surprised that Harry was telling her the truth. "I just—I always pictured my father as a good person," Harry explained, "but after what I saw in the Pensieve, I'm not so sure."

"Look, just because your father wasn't a good person when he was fifteen years old doesn't mean that he didn't get better when he grew up," Lucy said gently. "He was part of the Order, after all."

"I guess you're right," Harry sighed, although he looked unconvinced.

Suddenly, the librarian Madam Pince appeared at their table. "If you are not here to study, then you need to leave," she snapped, glaring at them.

Lucy and Harry hastily stood up from the table. Lucy slung her bag quickly over her shoulder, and she and Harry made their way up to Gryffindor Tower.

"You promise you won't say anything to Hermione or Ron?" Harry asked once more when they reached the portrait hole. "I told Snape that I wouldn't say anything to anyone.…"

"I promise," Lucy replied.

Harry gave the password, and the two fifth-years climbed into the common room.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning was the first day of the Easter holidays. Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were gathered in the common room. Hermione took it upon herself to make all four of them study schedules, since their O.W.L. exams were taking place in less than two months.

"So… _why_ haven't you got Occlumency lessons anymore?" Hermione asked.

Harry had just finished telling her and Ron that he was done meeting with Snape. "I've _told_ you," he replied. "Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics.…"

Lucy had to resist raising her eyebrows at him.

"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" Hermione pressed.

"Pretty much," Harry answered.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" Hermione exclaimed. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask—"

"No," Harry growled.

"Just drop it, Hermione, okay?" Lucy intervened gently.

There were a few minutes of silence as Hermione continued working on their study schedules.

"I can't believe the O.W.L.s are in six weeks," Ron moaned.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"I dunno…" Ron replied. "There's been a lot going on—"

"Well, there you are," Hermione said, handing over his new study schedule. "If you follow that, you should do fine."

Ron examined the sheet of paper. "You've given me an evening off every week!" he said happily.

"That's for Quidditch practice," Hermione explained.

The smile dropped immediately from Ron's face. "What's the point?" he muttered gloomily. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic.…"

"Cheer up, Ron," Lucy said. She looked over to Harry, who was staring in thought at the wall opposite him. Crookshanks was rubbing his head against Harry's hand, trying to get his ears scratched.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"What?" Harry said. "Nothing.…" He leaned forward and pulled one of his textbooks into his lap. Crookshanks, looking offended, stalked off.

"I saw Cho earlier," Hermione mentioned lightly, "and she looked really miserable, too.… Have you two had a row again?"

"Wha—oh, yeah, we have," Harry answered.

"What about?" Hermione asked.

"That fucking sneak friend of hers, Marietta," Harry said.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" Ron growled, tossing his study schedule aside. "If it hadn't been for her—"

"Yeah, yeah, we wouldn't have been found out," Lucy interrupted him. "We've had this discussion before."

"Yeah," Harry echoed, staring unfocused out the window.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of the Easter holidays, a new sign appeared on the Gryffindor notice board.

_Career Advice_

_All fifth-years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below._

"As if we didn't have enough on our damn plates as it was," Lucy complained. She was sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the last day of the holiday. They were looking through a pile of career pamphlets that had been left in the common room.

"Remind me when you go again," Hermione requested.

"Wednesday, right before lunch," Lucy replied. "Do you have any idea of what you want to do?"

"Well, I don't fancy Healing," Ron commented, looking at a pamphlet for St. Mungo's hospital. "It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, _and_ Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean—blimey.… Don't want much, do they?"

"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

Lucy scooped up a pink and orange pamphlet that said _So You Think You'd Like to Work in Muggle Relations?_ on the front. She scanned through it. "You don't need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles…" she said. "All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies.… _Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!_"

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard for you," Ron said.

"No, but I also don't want to _liaise_ with Muggles," Lucy pointed out. "I want to educate witches and wizards about the Muggle world and how to better blend into it. You know what? Muggle Studies should probably be a required course—"

"The blood purists who run the Ministry would not be happy about that," Hermione said, smirking.

"Hey, listen to this," Harry piped up, reading through a banking leaflet. "_Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad._… They want Arithmancy, though.… You two could do that, Hermione, Lucy..."

"I don't much fancy banking," Hermione said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Hey," a whisper came from nearby. The four fifth-years looked up to see that Fred and George had joined them.

"Ginny's had a word with us about you," Fred said quietly to Harry. "She says you need to talk to Sirius?"

"What?" Hermione asked, as Lucy corrected, "Snuffles."

"Yeah…" Harry said nonchalantly, "yeah, I thought I'd like—"

"Don't be so ridiculous," Hermione said, fixing Harry with a hard stare. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Well, we think we can find a way around that," George said, a mischievous smile on his face. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?"

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" Fred went on. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. Of course, we'd have messed up people's studying, too—which would be the very last thing we'd want to do." He nodded to Hermione, and then he continued, "But it's business as usual from tomorrow. If we're going to be causing a bit of an uproar, we thought, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"_Snuffles_," Lucy hissed.

"Yes, but _still_," Hermione pressed, "even if you _do_ cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office," Harry said, and Lucy felt her eyes widening.

"Are—you—_insane_?" Hermione asked hoarsely, and Lucy exchanged an anxious look with Ron.

"I don't think so," Harry answered.

"How are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione questioned.

"Snuffles's knife," Harry replied.

"Snuffles's what now?" Lucy asked.

"Christmas before last, Snuffles gave me a knife that'll open any lock," Harry explained. "So even if she's bewitched the door so _Alohomora_ won't work, which I bet she has—"

"What do you think about this?" Hermione asked, turning to Lucy and Ron.

"I dunno," Ron said, looking a bit alarmed that she was asking for his input. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," Fred said cheerfully, patting Ron on the back.

"Lucy?" Hermione asked, looking desperately at her friend.

Lucy looked at Harry instead. "You have to be _so_ careful," she said. "If Umbridge catches you, she might also catch Snuffles and have him chucked back in Azkaban—not to mention she'd know where the Order have been meeting."

"I promise I'll be careful," Harry said, nodding.

"Right, then," Fred said as Hermione flopped back in her chair, looking defeated. "We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors—Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere—draw her right away from her own office—I reckon we should be able to guarantee you—what?—twenty minutes?" He glanced at George.

"Easy," George agreed.

"What sort of diversion is it?" Ron asked.

"You'll see, little bro," Fred replied, winking. "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor 'round about five o'clock tomorrow."

"Oh, we'll be there," Lucy said, smirking.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next day, Hermione tried many times to talk Harry out of sneaking into Umbridge's office. Lucy and Ron were constantly telling her to leave Harry alone, but she wouldn't listen. In Potions class, Lucy made Jeremy promise to meet her after classes, so that they could see what Fred and George were planning on doing next.

Finally, Defense Against the Dark Arts—Lucy's last class of the day—came to a close. Harry hurried out of the classroom, followed by a pleading Hermione, but Lucy and Ron rushed off to see what Fred and George were about to do.

They ran up a flight of stairs before they heard a loud noise coming from somewhere above them.

"Lucy!" Jeremy jogged up to her and Ron. "Did you hear that?"

"That's got to be Fred and George," Lucy replied.

They sprinted along the corridor and into the east wing of the school. As they were about to go up to the fifth floor, they saw a river of dark, smelly liquid seeping down the stairs.

"What the fuck is that?" Ron asked, taking a step back. There was a rumbling noise drawing nearer, as well.

"I think we should probably get out of here…" Lucy said slowly.

There were shrieks next, and soon a group of students were slipping and sliding down the stairs, covered in the dark liquid.

"Let's go!" Jeremy exclaimed, grabbing Lucy's hand and pulling her along the corridor. Ron followed closely behind as the three of them ran back the way they had come.

They saw Umbridge hurry past them, heading the opposite direction, holding her wand above her head. Lucy, Jeremy, and Ron stopped, along with some of the other students, watching as Umbridge shrieked when she found the swamp. Members of the Inquisitorial Squad joined her, and they all went up to see if they could find the source.

"Reckon they're going to find Fred and George?" Ron asked anxiously.

Lucy and Jeremy shrugged, looking around at the students who were stampeding away from the swamp.

"Come on," Lucy said. "There's no use waiting around here. Let's head down to the Great Hall."

Jeremy and Ron nodded their agreement, and they made their way down to dinner.

They were descending the marble staircase into the entrance hall when a swarm of students ran past them, heading down, as well. Then Fred and George themselves streaked by, followed closely by the Inquisitorial Squad. The rest of the students were already gathering around the edge of the entrance hall, and Fred and George came to a stop in the middle of the stone floor.

Lucy, Jeremy, and Ron stepped off to the side of the hall, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Nowhere left to run!" a voice shouted. Umbridge was coming down the stairs, panting heavily. When she caught her breath, she smiled triumphantly. "So!" she exclaimed. "So… you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred replied, looking almost bored.

Meanwhile, Filch had caught up to Umbridge, brandishing a piece of paper. "I've got the form, Headmistress," he announced. "I've got the form, and I've got the whips waiting.… Oh, let me do it now—"

"Whips?" Lucy breathed anxiously.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two," she continued, looking at Fred and George again, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in _my_ school."

"You know what?" Fred interrupted. "I don't think we are." He glanced at his twin and said, "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George agreed.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George answered.

The two of them raised their wands and shouted, "_Accio Brooms_!" There was a loud crash, and many of the students put their arms over their heads. Fred's and George's broomsticks were flying through the air towards them. There was a chain hanging from one of the brooms. They came to a sudden stop in front of the twins.

"We _won't_ be seeing you," Fred said matter-of-factly to Umbridge as he mounted his broom.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George said, following suit.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley," Fred announced to the student body. "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George added, gesturing to Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge cried.

The Inquisitorial Squad moved in, but Fred and George flew up into the air. They paused, looking over at Peeves, who was floating nearby.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves," Fred said in a clear, ringing voice.

To everyone's surprise, Peeves pulled his hat off his head and gave Fred and George a crisp salute. Then, as the students below began to applaud, Fred and George spun around in the air and zoomed out of the entrance hall, never once looking back.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I really enjoy the conversation that Lucy, Jeremy, and Harry have in the library. Jeremy's mother wanting to protect him above anything else is a pretty big theme. I think I'll talk more about Jeremy's parents **__**(in an A/N or multiple A/Ns)**__** later on (maybe story 7).**_


	26. 26: Shift in Power

**_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_**

* * *

**Chapter 26 – Shift in Power**

The Weasley twins' escape was all the school could talk about for the next few days. As with any story that went around the school, it was soon exaggerated, even by those who had witnessed it. Fred and George were quickly becoming legends, and many students expressed their wish to copy the boys. Lucy overheard people saying things like, "Honestly, some days I just feel like jumping on my broom and leaving this place," or, "One more lesson like that, and I might just do a Weasley."

The fifth-floor corridor in the east wing was still a swamp. Umbridge and Filch tried many different ways to get rid of it, but nothing they did was working. In the end, Filch had to rope off the area and assist the students across the swamp himself, which he was not happy about.

Many of the students had been inspired to follow in Fred's and George's footsteps. One of the first pranks to be pulled on Umbridge was setting a niffler loose in her office. The creature tore the office up, looking for shiny objects, and it even attacked Umbridge when she entered the room.

All over the school, Dungbombs and Stinkpellets were being let off in the hallways so often that almost every student knew how to cast a Bubble-Head Charm on themselves. All sorts of banned things were finding their way into the school: items such as Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs were constantly seen whizzing through the air in the corridors.

Since there were so many troublemakers, Filch had a hard time figuring out who to punish. He walked the corridors with his whip in hand, but he hardly had the chance to use it. The Inquisitorial Squad attempted to help him, but the other students were ganging up on them, as well. Even the squad's fellow Slytherins were partaking in the mischief, Jeremy had reported to Lucy.

It was clear that Fred and George had sold a lot more Skiving Snackboxes than Lucy was previously aware of. Full classes were skipping out of Defense Against the Dark Arts thanks to sudden fainting, vomiting, or bleeding—or any combination of the three. Umbridge was furious; she put four whole classes in detention to find out how they were all becoming sick, but everyone insisted that they had come down with _Umbridge-itis_. Since nobody would give up their secret, Umbridge had no choice but to let the students leave her class.

All of this paled in comparison to the chaos that Peeves was creating. It was the first time Lucy had ever known the poltergeist to take orders from a student. He was swooping around the school, knocking over tables, statues, and vases. He would jump out of blackboards to scare the students and professors alike. He also twice stuffed Mrs. Norris into a suit of armor, causing Filch to hate him even more. Peeves would also smash lanterns, blow out candles, and juggle torches over the heads of the students. He flooded the second floor by pulling all the bathroom taps out of the walls, and dropped a bag of tarantulas in the Great Hall. And whenever he decided to take a break from causing mayhem, he would float along behind Umbridge and blow loud raspberries whenever she attempted to speak.

Just like when the Weasley twins had set off the fireworks, the rest of the staff—apart from Filch—didn't seem bothered to try and help bring order back to the castle. One day, Lucy and Harry observed Professor McGonagall passing Peeves, who was trying to loosen a chandelier from the ceiling, and could have sworn they heard her mutter, "It unscrews the other way."

**~LJ:NK~**

Two days after the Weasley twins' escape, Lucy went to Professor McGonagall's office to have her career counseling session.

"Good morning, Miss Jones," the professor greeted her when Lucy entered the office. "Take a seat." Lucy obliged, sitting in the empty chair on one side of the desk, and Professor McGonagall went on, "Our headmistress was supposed to join us for this meeting, but I'm afraid that she's busy with some other duties. I hope you don't mind."

"Er—no, I don't, Professor," Lucy answered.

"Well, then, this meeting is to talk over the ideas you've had for your career, and to help you decided which classes you will continue taking in the sixth and seventh years," Professor McGonagall continued. "Have you thought about what you might like to do when you finish school?"

"I haven't thought of a specific career, no," Lucy admitted. "I would love to do something to help with the relationship between witches and wizards and the Muggle world."

"So maybe a career in Muggle relations?" Professor McGonagall asked. She pulled out the familiar pink and orange pamphlet that Lucy had read back in her common room.

"Not exactly," Lucy replied. "I just feel like a lot of witches and wizards don't know how to act when they're in the Muggle world. In fact, many of them seem like they're going to break the Statute of Secrecy at any moment."

There was a knock on the office door, and Professor McGonagall frowned as she looked past Lucy. "Come in," she called.

The door opened, and Umbridge stepped inside, looking ruffled as she usually did these days. "I apologize for my lateness," she said, taking a seat in the corner of the room. "Do go on."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and looked back at Lucy. "You were saying, Miss Jones?" she prompted.

"There needs to be educational reform, for starters," Lucy continued, noticing Umbridge look up sharply at the word _reform_. "Muggle Studies should possibly be made into a mandatory class—"

"I beg your pardon, but I don't think you are qualified to decide which classes should be mandatory or not," Umbridge interrupted rudely.

"The Wizarding world is terribly uneducated when it comes to Muggles and the Muggle world," Lucy insisted. "The best way to ensure that they get the education they need is to start with the children here at Hogwarts. However, witches and wizards of all ages need to learn how to better blend into Muggle society if we want to keep our world a secret."

"What makes you think that adult witches and wizards cannot blend in?" Umbridge asked snootily.

"Well, when I went to the Quidditch World Cup two summers ago, I saw a man wearing a woman's nightdress when he was supposed to be wearing Muggle clothing," Lucy shot back, folding her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me, but if you've finished interrogating Miss Jones, I think we should go over which classes she should take in her sixth and seventh years," Professor McGonagall said loudly.

Lucy turned back to her, ignoring Umbridge, who had begun to scribble something onto her clipboard. "I assume I should continue with Muggle Studies if I want to do anything that involves Muggles in the future," Lucy guessed.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. "If you don't have anything else in mind for a career at this moment, you are free to take whichever classes you choose—as long as you get the sufficient grades to continue, of course. Do you know which classes you'd be interested in continuing?"

"Probably Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and possibly Herbology and Arithmancy," Lucy replied.

"Well, for Transfiguration, you will need at least an Exceeds Expectations in your O.W.L. to continue on to my N.E.W.T. class," Professor McGonagall said. "You are doing very well in my class, of course, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into the N.E.W.T. class." Lucy swore she saw a faint smile grace the professor's lips for a moment, and Professor McGonagall sorted through some of the papers on the desk in front of her before going on, "You also seem to be doing splendidly in Charms class. Professor Flitwick would be thrilled to have you back. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Arithmancy all seem up to scratch, as well. You have no interest in continuing with Potions?"

"Potions really isn't my strong suit," Lucy said. "I'm managing to score mostly Acceptables from Professor Snape, with an Exceeds Expectations every once in a while."

"Yes, and I'm afraid Professor Snape only admits students into his N.E.W.T. class who achieve an Outstanding in their O.W.L.," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. "Well, this list seems very well-rounded, so even if you change your mind about your career, you should have no problem picking a different path." She paused for a moment before continuing, "I believe that is all there is to discuss. Keep up the good work, and your O.W.L.s should go well."

"Thank you, Professor," Lucy said. She stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the room without looking over at Umbridge.

**~LJ:NK~**

Later that night, Lucy found herself alone with Harry in the common room. Hermione had opted to study in the library that night, and Ron was away at Quidditch practice.

"Harry," Lucy said suddenly, putting her homework down, "how did your talk with Sirius go?" The excitement of Fred and George leaving had pushed Harry's meeting with Sirius to the back of Lucy's mind.

"It was… fine," Harry replied lamely.

Lucy frowned at him. "You know I'm just going to keep badgering you about this," she reminded him.

Harry sighed. "Okay, but not a word to Hermione and Ron yet, okay?" he said.

"Why not?" Lucy asked curiously.

"I don't want them knowing that I'm worried about the person my dad was," Harry admitted, and Lucy gazed sympathetically at him. "Anyway, I got into Umbridge's office just fine and managed to use her fireplace to reach Sirius," Harry began. "When I was in Grimmauld Place's fire, Lupin was the first person I saw. He said Sirius was looking for Kreacher, because Kreacher had been hiding again."

"That elf has been acting strangely recently," Lucy muttered. "Go on."

"Well, Sirius and Lupin were both there, and I immediately told them what I had seen in Snape's Pensieve," Harry continued. "They, of course, reminded me that they were just fifteen in that memory and that I shouldn't judge my father based on those few minutes I saw of him."

"I would expect them to say something like that," Lucy commented.

"They said that my dad and Snape had always hated each other," Harry went on. "They figured that Snape was just jealous of my dad's popularity. Sirius said that he and my dad were pretty good at everything they did, and that they could get a bit arrogant at times. Lupin and Sirius insisted that they were just a bunch of idiots."

"What about your mother?" Lucy asked carefully. "Did they mention why she seemed to hate him so much?"

"Yeah, Lupin said they started dating in the seventh year, once Dad had—er—_deflated his head a bit_," Harry replied. Lucy snorted, and Harry added, "Sirius's words, not mine."

"See? So your dad did get better eventually," Lucy said encouragingly. She felt a bit relieved, as well; she had been anxious about what Sirius would have to say about what Harry had seen. "Did they say anything else?"

"I told them that Snape won't be teaching me Occlumency anymore," Harry said, "and Sirius nearly flew off the handle. He was talking about coming up to Hogwarts to speak to Snape himself. Lupin said I had to go back to Snape at once and ask for Occlumency lessons again. He said there's nothing more important than me learning it." Harry made a face of disgust.

"You know, Harry, you should probably try and listen to them," Lucy said quietly, but Harry shook his head.

"You didn't see Snape's face when he found me in the Pensieve," Harry said. "There is no way I'm going to be able to face him after that."

"But—"

"I can't do it, Lucy," Harry said firmly. "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it."

**~LJ:NK~**

The Gryffindors were sitting in Charms class a few weeks later when Hermione looked out the window and saw Mr. and Mrs. Montague storming up to the castle. Montague—the Slytherin who had been pushed into the Vanishing Cabinet by Fred and George—hadn't recovered from whatever had happened to him and was still in the hospital wing.

"Should we say something?" Hermione asked anxiously. "About what happened to him? In case it helps Madam Pomfrey cure him?"

"'Course not," Ron said absently. "He'll recover."

"Anyway, more trouble for Umbridge, isn't it?" Harry added.

Lucy shrugged. She tapped her teacup with her wand, and the cup sprouted four legs and stood up. Harry and Ron also tapped their cups, though with much less success. The legs on Ron's cup were not strong enough to hold itself up, and it dropped down onto the table, cracking in half.

"_Reparo_!" Hermione said hastily, fixing Ron's cup. "That's all very well, but what if Montague's _permanently_ injured?"

"Who cares?" Ron mumbled, watching his cup try to walk on its weak legs. "Montague shouldn't have tried to take all those points from Gryffindor, should he? If you want to worry about anyone, Hermione, worry about _me_!"

"You?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows at him. "Why should we be worried about _you_?"

"When Mum's next letter finally gets through Umbridge's screening process, I'm going to be in deep trouble," Ron replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's sent a Howler again."

Hermione started, "But—"

"It'll be _my_ fault Fred and George left, you wait," Ron interrupted. "She'll say I should've stopped them leaving—that I should've grabbed the ends of their brooms and hung on or something.… Yeah, it'll be all my fault."

"Well, if she _does_ say that, it'll be very unfair," Hermione said. "You couldn't have done anything! I'm sure she won't, though. I mean, if it's really true they've got premises in Diagon Alley now, they must have been planning this for ages—"

"They have been," Lucy pointed out. "They've been talking for months about how they can't wait to start their shop up."

"Yeah, but that's another thing. How did they get the premises?" Ron asked. He smacked his teacup with his wand, and the cup collapsed again. "It's a bit dodgy, isn't it? They'll need loads of Galleons to afford the rent on a place in Diagon Alley. She'll want to know what they've been up to, to get their hands on that sort of gold—"

"Well, yes. That occurred to me, too," Hermione said.

"They've been selling a lot of merchandise," Lucy said, shrugging and picking up her teacup before it could escape from the table.

"Yes, but they probably needed more gold than _that_ to get a building," Hermione said. "I've been wondering whether Mundungus has persuaded them to sell stolen goods or something awful—"

"He hasn't," Harry insisted suddenly.

"How do you know?" Lucy, Ron, and Hermione all said.

"Because," Harry said, but he stopped abruptly. He sighed and continued, "Because they got the gold from me. I gave them my Triwizard winnings last June."

Lucy felt her mouth pop open.

"Oh, Harry, you _didn't_!" Hermione said as her teacup jumped off the edge of the table and smashed on the floor.

"Yes, I did," Harry said, "and I don't regret it, either—I didn't need the gold, and they'll be great at a joke shop—"

"Harry, that was very nice of you," Lucy said, smiling at her brother. "I agree—Fred and George are a solid investment. You saw how much stuff they were selling here at school."

"This is excellent!" Ron exclaimed. "It's all your fault, Harry—Mum can't blame me at all! Can I tell her?"

"Yeah, I suppose you'd better," Harry said. "'Specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something—"

"It's not all Harry's fault," Lucy said, frowning. "They would have gotten the gold at some point. Fred and George left because they wanted to."

**~LJ:NK~**

They didn't talk about Fred and George for the rest of the class, but at the end of the lesson, Hermione seemed as though she was going to burst. After they went out into the courtyard for break, Hermione turned to Harry and opened her mouth.

"It's no good nagging me," Harry said before she could speak. "It's done. Fred and George have got the gold—spent a good bit of it, too, by the sounds of it—and I can't get it back from them, and I don't _want_ to. So save your breath, Hermione."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Fred and George!" Hermione said, sounding insulted. Ron let out a noise of disbelief, and she glared at him. "No, I wasn't!" she huffed. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Harry when he's going to go back to Snape and ask for Occlumency lessons again!"

About a week after Harry had told Lucy the full story of what had happened, Hermione and Ron questioned him about his meeting with Sirius, as well. Harry told them about how Sirius and Remus had reacted when they found out Snape wasn't giving Harry Occlumency lessons anymore. Harry had left out the part about his father, however, when he talked to Hermione and Ron.

"You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams," Hermione added, "because Ron told me last night you were muttering in your sleep again.…"

Harry glared at Ron, who looked sheepishly away. "You were only muttering a bit," he said. "Something about _just a bit farther_."

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch," Harry sneered. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the fucking Quaffle."

Ron went bright red, but Lucy shook her head. "Bullshit," she snorted.

"You are _trying_ to block your mind, aren't you?" Hermione asked. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am," Harry said, but he looked away from his friends as he said it.

Lucy studied him suspiciously for a moment.

"You know," Ron spoke up, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in with a chance of winning the cup."

"Yeah, I s'ppose so," Harry said.

Lucy and Hermione exchanged an exasperated glance; it was so like the two boys to change the subject to Quidditch.

"I mean, we've won one, lost one," Ron continued thoughtfully. "If Slytherin loses to Hufflepuff next Saturday—"

"Yeah, that's right," Harry said, looking distracted.

Lucy followed his gaze to see Cho Chang walking across the courtyard, avoiding Harry's eye. "Come on," Lucy said. "Let's get to class."

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I enjoy Lucy's career conversation with Professor McGonagall. I think Lucy still finds it hard to believe that people in the UK have such a hard time blending with Muggles. In this story, American witches and wizards are much better at blending in, because they used to be super strict about breaking the secrecy statute.**_


	27. 27: Hagrid's Secret

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 27 – Hagrid's Secret**

Montague did not recover in time for the Slytherin-Hufflepuff match, and Hufflepuff managed to win, although it was very narrow. The final game of the year was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and it was scheduled for the last weekend in May. Most of the Gryffindor students weren't looking forward to it, however, as they didn't want to get their hopes up.

The morning of the match arrived, and Ron seemed surprisingly chipper.

"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" he pointed out at breakfast. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"

When they had finished eating, Lucy, Harry, and Hermione were joined by Jeremy in the entrance hall, and the four of them headed down to the pitch.

"You know," Hermione spoke up, "I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence.…"

They walked for a minute longer before Jeremy let out a low whistle. "Luna's definitely outdone herself today," he said, pointing to the girl as she walked passed them.

On her head, Luna was wearing a large eagle. Lucy couldn't tell if it was a real bird or not.

"Oh, gosh, I forgot!" Hermione said. "Cho will be playing, won't she?"

Harry grunted, and Lucy exchanged a look with Jeremy.

The four entered the stands and found an open space near the top. The sun was shining, and the sky was clear; a perfect day for Quidditch. Lee Jordan was commentating as usual, although he had lost a bit of his luster since Fred and George had left. He announced the teams as they entered the stadium, and soon the fourteen players were flying into the air.

"They're off!" Lee announced. "Davies takes the Quaffle immediately—Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle—he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, and he dodges Spinnet, as well.… He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot—and—and—" Lee swore before finishing, "He's scored."

The Slytherins across the pitch began, once again, to sing their horrid song.

_Weasley cannot save a thing  
He cannot block a single ring…_

"Harry," a voice suddenly whispered. "Hermione—Lucy—"

The three of them looked around, bewildered.

"Hagrid?" Lucy asked.

Hagrid was crouched down behind them, as though he was trying to not be seen. "Listen," he said, "can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?"

"Er—can't it wait, Hagrid?" Harry asked. "Until the match is over?"

"No," Hagrid replied. "No, Harry, it's gotta be now—while ev'ryone's lookin' the other way.… Please?"

Harry exchanged a look with Lucy and Hermione. Hagrid looked awful, with both of his eyes blackened and blood dripping slowly from his nose.

"'Course," Harry said, looking back at the gamekeeper. "'Course we'll come.…"

Lucy turned to Jeremy. "I'm sorry to just run out on you like this, but do you mind if I go?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," Jeremy said reassuringly. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Thank you," Lucy said, smiling. Then she hurried after Harry and Hermione.

"I 'ppreciate this, you three. I really do," Hagrid said as they exited the stands. "I jus' hope she doesn' notice us goin'.…"

"You mean Umbridge?" Harry asked. "She won't. She's got her whole Inquisitorial Squad sitting with her, didn't you see? She must be expecting trouble at the match."

"Yeah, well, a bit o' trouble wouldn' hurt," Hagrid said. He checked the lawn outside the stadium. "Give us more time—"

"What is it, Hagrid?" Hermione asked anxiously. She, Lucy, and Harry followed the half-giant towards the forest.

"Yeh—yeh'll see in a mo'," Hagrid replied.

A loud roar came from the Quidditch pitch, causing the four of them to pause and look over their shoulders.

"Hey—did someone jus' score?" Hagrid asked.

"That'll be Ravenclaw," Harry said glumly.

"Good… good…" Hagrid murmured. "Tha's good.…"

They walked up to Hagrid's cabin, and Lucy, Harry, and Hermione made to go into the house. They hesitated as they watched Hagrid stomp over to the edge of the forest and pick up his crossbow, which had been leaning against a tree.

"We're goin' in here," he explained, gesturing into the forest.

"Into the forest?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Hagrid replied. "C'mon now, quick—before we're spotted!"

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione exchanged bewildered looks before hurrying after Hagrid.

"Hagrid, why are you armed?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Jus' a precaution," Hagrid replied vaguely.

"You didn't bring your crossbow the day you showed us the thestrals," Hermione pointed out.

"Nah, well, we weren' goin' in so far then," Hagrid said. "Anyway, tha' was before Firenze left the forest, wasn't it?"

"Why does Firenze leaving make a difference?" Hermione asked.

"'Cause the other centaurs are good an' riled at me, tha's why," Hagrid explained. "They used ter be—well, yeh couldn' call 'em friendly—but we got on all righ'. Kept themselves to themselves, bu' always turned up if I wanted a word. Not anymore.…" He heaved a sigh.

"Firenze said they're angry because he went to work for Dumbledore," Harry said.

"Yeah," Hagrid confirmed. "Well, angry doesn' cover it. Ruddy livid. If I hadn' stepped in, I reckon they'd've kicked Firenze ter death—"

"They attacked him?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yep," Hagrid replied. "He had half the herd on him—"

"And you stopped it?" Harry asked. "By yourself?"

"'Course I did," Hagrid said. "I couldn't stand by an' watch 'em kill him, could I? Lucky I was passin', really—an' I'd've thought Firenze mighta remembered tha' before he started sendin' me stupid warnin's!"

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise at Hagrid's sudden ferocity.

"Anyway," Hagrid continued after taking a few breaths, "since then, the other centaurs've bin livid with me, an' the trouble is, they've got a lot of influence in the forest.… Cleverest creatures in here—"

"Is that why we're here, Hagrid?" Hermione asked. "The centaurs?"

"Ah, no," Hagrid said. "No, it's not them.… Well, o' course, they could complicate the problem, yeah—but yeh'll see what I mean in a bit.…"

They continued through the trees, which grew closer together the further they walked. It became increasingly difficult for Lucy, Harry, and Hermione to keep up with Hagrid.

Then suddenly, Hagrid stepped off the path. He seemed to know where he was going, but the three Gryffindors were beginning to feel uneasy.

"Hagrid?" Harry spoke up. "Where are we going?"

"Bit further," Hagrid replied. "C'mon, Harry.… We need ter keep together now.…"

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione struggled through the undergrowth as they went on through the forest. It was becoming darker, as well.

"Hagrid, would it be all right if we lit our wands?" Hermione finally asked.

"Er—all righ'," Hagrid said. "In fact…"

He suddenly stopped and turned around to face the three students. Hermione walked right into him and fell over backwards. Harry managed to catch her before she landed on the ground.

"Maybe we bes' jus' stop fer a momen', so I can… fill yeh in," Hagrid said. "Before we ge' there, like."

"Good!" Lucy said. She, Hermione, and Harry murmured, "_Lumos_," and their wands all lit up.

"Righ'," Hagrid began. "Well—see—the thing is—" He paused to take a breath. "Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any day now."

Lucy, Hermione, and Harry exchanged bewildered looks.

"But you've lasted this long," Hermione pointed out. "What makes you think—?"

"Umbridge reckons it was me tha' put tha' niffler in her office," Hagrid said bitterly.

"Was it?" Harry asked.

"No, it ruddy well wasn'!" Hagrid said indignantly. "On'y anythin' ter do with magical creatures an' she thinks it's got somethin' ter do with me. Yeh know she's bin lookin' fer a chance ter get rid of me ever since I got back. I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but if it wasn' fer—well—the special circumstances I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'd leave righ' now—before she's go' the chance ter do it in front o' the whole school, like she did with Trelawney." Lucy, Harry, and Hermione began to protest, but Hagrid waved them off and went on, "It's not the end o' the world. I'll be able ter help Dumbledore once I'm outta here. I can be useful ter the Order. You lot'll have Grubbly-Plank. Yeh'll—yeh'll get through yer exams fine—" His voice broke, and Hermione took a step towards him.

"Don' worry abou' me," Hagrid said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. "Look, I wouldn' be tellin' yeh this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go—well, I can' leave withou'—withou' tellin' someone—because I'll—I'll need you three ter help me. An' Ron, if he's willin'."

"Of course we'll help you," Harry said. "What do you want us to do?"

Hagrid patted Harry on the arm, knocking the boy into a tree. "I knew yeh'd say yes," he said, "but I won'—never—forget.… Well—c'mon—jus' a little bit further through here.… Watch yerselves, now. There's nettles.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

They walked for another fifteen minutes before Hagrid stopped them once again. "Really easy," he whispered. "Very quiet, now.…"

They tiptoed forward towards a large mound of what appeared to be earth. There were trees all around them that had been uprooted. A makeshift fence of tree trunks had been made around the mound.

"Sleepin'," Hagrid murmured.

"Sleeping?" Lucy asked, confused. Then, as she listened, she could hear the sound of something breathing. She glanced at Hermione, who looked absolutely terrified.

"Hagrid, who is he?" she asked hoarsely. "Hagrid, you told us—" she went on in a shaky voice, "you _told_ us none of them wanted to come!"

The puzzle pieces rapidly clicked together in Lucy's head, and she stared at the mound with new understanding. "That's a giant," she breathed. "That's a _giant_, Hagrid!"

"I had ter bring him," Hagrid insisted. "He didn' wan' ter come, but I had ter bring him with me!"

"_Why_?" Hermione asked. "Why—? What—? Oh, _Hagrid_!"

"I knew if I jus' got him back," Hagrid explained, "an'—an' taught him a few manners—I'd be able ter take him outside an' show ev'ryone he's harmless!"

"Harmless!" Lucy laughed without humor. "He's been hurting you this whole time, hasn't he? That's why you've had all those injuries!"

"He don' know his own strength!" Hagrid said. "But he's gettin' better, and he's not fightin' so much anymore—"

"So _this_ is why it took you two months to get home!" Hermione moaned. "Oh, Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn't want to come? Wouldn't he have been happier with his own people?"

"They were all bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" Hagrid said.

"Small?" Hermione repeated. "_Small_?"

"Hermione, I couldn' leave him," Hagrid said. "See—he's my brother!"

"What?" Lucy gasped.

"Hagrid, when you say _brother_," Harry began, "do you mean—?"

"Well—half-brother," Hagrid said. "Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here—"

"Grawp?" Harry echoed.

"Yeah—well, tha's wha' it sounds like when he says his name," Hagrid said. "He don' speak a lot of English.… I've bin tryin' ter teach him.… Anyway, she don' seem ter have liked him much more'n she liked me.… See, with giantesses, what counts is producin' good big kids, and he's always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant—on'y sixteen foot—"

"Oh, yes, _tiny_!" Hermione said. "Absolutely _miniscule_!"

"He was bein' kicked around by all o' them," Hagrid said. "I jus' couldn' leave him—"

"Did Madam Maxime want to bring him back?" Harry asked.

"She—well, she could see it was righ' important ter me," Hagrid replied, "bu'—bu' she got a bit tired of him after a while, I must admit—so we split up on the journey home.… She promised not ter tell anyone, though—"

"How did you get him back without anyone noticing?" Lucy asked, staring at the sleeping giant.

"Well, tha's why it took so long, see," Hagrid said. "We could on'y travel by nigh' an' through wild country an' stuff. 'Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back—"

"Oh, Hagrid, why on earth didn't you let him?" Hermione sighed. She sank down onto a nearby tree trunk and rubbed her face with her hands. "What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here?"

"Well, now—_violent_—tha's a bit harsh," Hagrid said. "I'll admit he mighta taken a couple o' swings at me when he's bin in a bad mood, but he's gettin' better—loads better—settlin' down well—"

"What are those ropes for, then?" Harry asked bluntly, and Lucy noticed that there were a few thick ropes tied to a few of the remaining trees.

"You have to keep him tied up?" Hermione asked.

"Well—yeah…" Hagrid said sheepishly. "See—it's like I say—he doesn' really know his strength—"

"So what exactly do you want Hermione, Harry, Ron, and me to do?" Lucy asked.

"Look after him," Hagrid answered. "After I'm gone."

"What—what does that involve, exactly?" Hermione questioned warily.

"No food or anythin'!" Hagrid said. "He can get his own food, no problem. Birds an' deer an' stuff—no, it's company he needs. If I jus' knew someone was carryin' on tryin' ter help him a bit—teachin' him, yeh know—"

"You want us to teach him," Harry repeated in a flat voice.

"Yeah—even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit," Hagrid said. "'Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more tha' we all like him really an' want him ter stay.…"

Harry looked between Lucy and Hermione. "Kind of makes you wish we had Norbert back, doesn't it?" he said, and Lucy and Hermione both let out a small laugh at that.

"Yeh'll do it, then?" Hagrid asked eagerly.

Harry said hesitantly, "We'll—we'll try, Hagrid.…"

"I knew I could count on yeh, Harry," Hagrid said. "I don' wan' yeh ter put yerself out too much, like—I know yeh've got exams.… If yeh could jus' nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a week an' have a little chat with him.… I'll wake him up, then—introduce you—"

"Wha—no!" Hermione said, alarmed and standing up. "Hagrid, no! Don't wake him! Really, we don't need—"

It was no use, however, as Hagrid was already making his way towards Grawp. He picked up a large stick and poked the giant hard in the back. The giant roared loudly and began to push himself to his feet. Lucy, Harry, and Hermione stepped closer together.

"All righ', Grawpy?" Hagrid called up to Grawp. "Had a nice sleep, eh?"

Harry pushed both Lucy and Hermione slightly behind him as they retreated from Grawp. Grawp was looking around, blinking sleepily, and then very quickly pushed himself to his feet.

"Oh, my…" Hermione gasped.

Grawp reached into a nearby tree and pulled a bird's nest from it. He turned it upside down expectantly, but there were no birds to be found. A few eggs fell from it, cracking onto the forest floor.

Hagrid shielded his head with his arms. "Anyway, Grawpy," he shouted, "I've brought some friends ter meet yeh. Remember, I told yeh I migh'? Remember, when I said I migh' have ter go on a little trip an' leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember tha', Grawpy?"

Grawp merely let out another roar and pulled on a pine tree.

"Now, Grawpy, don' do tha'!" Hagrid cried. "Tha's how you ended up pullin' up the others—" The tree's roots cracked ominously, and Hagrid went on, "I got company fer yeh! Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon. I brought yeh some friends!"

"Oh, Hagrid, don't," Hermione pleaded, but Hagrid had already poked Grawp in the knee with his stick.

Grawp let go of the tree and looked down.

"_This_ is Harry, Grawp!" Hagrid said, coming over to where the Gryffindors were. "Harry Potter! He migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?"

Grawp leaned down and looked curiously at the three new humans in his clearing.

"This is Lucy, an' this is Hermione, see? Her—" Hagrid stopped abruptly before turning to Hermione. "Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember.…"

"No, not at all," Hermione said, looking very frightened.

"This is Hermy, Grawp!" Hagrid introduced. "She's gonna be comin' an' all! Isn' tha' nice? Eh? Three friends fer yeh ter—GRAWPY, NO!"

Grawp had suddenly thrown his hands out towards the students, and Harry pushed both girls backwards, so that the giant only managed to swipe at thin air. The three of them retreated behind a tree, Hermione seeming very distressed. Lucy looked around the trunk to see what was happening.

"BAD BOY, GRAWPY!" Hagrid scolded. "VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB—OUCH!"

Grawp had pushed Hagrid to the ground, and then he went back to his pine tree.

"Righ'," Hagrid said, holding his nose with one hand and pushing himself back to his feet with his other one. "Well—there yeah are.… Yeh've met him, an'—an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah—well…" He glanced at Grawp and sighed. "Well, I reckon tha's enough fer one day. We'll—er—we'll go back now, shall we?"

"Yes," Lucy said briskly, while Harry and Hermione nodded.

**~LJ:NK~**

They walked through the forest together without saying anything. Hermione looked pale and shaken up, and Harry seemed like he was already regretting his promise to help Hagrid. Lucy was having a hard time believing that Hagrid thought Grawp would be able to fit in with humans.

"Hold it," Hagrid said suddenly after Lucy, Harry, and Hermione had just struggled to get through a patch of knotgrass. He raised his crossbow, an arrow nocked.

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione shrank into each other, hearing movement from nearby.

"Oh, blimey," Hagrid muttered.

"I thought we told you, Hagrid, that you are no longer welcome here," a voice said.

Lucy groaned internally. A centaur had appeared before them, a bow in hand.

"How are yeh, Magorian?" Hagrid asked.

The centaur didn't answer, and another four followed behind him.

"So," one of the centaurs said, looking at Magorian. This one had a black body and a thick beard on his face. "We agreed, I think, what we would do if this human showed his face in the forest again?"

"_This human,_ now, am I?" Hagrid asked. "Jus' fer stoppin' all of yeh committin' murder?"

"You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid," Magorian said. "Our ways are not yours—nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonored us."

"I dunno how yeh work tha' out," Hagrid said. "He's done nothin' except help Albus Dumbledore—"

"Firenze has entered into servitude to humans," a different centaur, this one with a gray body, spoke up.

"_Servitude_!" Hagrid scoffed. "He's doin' Dumbledore a favor is all—"

"He is peddling our knowledge and secrets among humans," Magorian said. "There can be no return from such disgrace."

"If yeh say so," Hagrid said, "but personally I think yeh're makin' a big mistake—"

"As are you, human," the black-bodied centaur said, "coming back into our forest when we warned you—"

"Now, you listen ter me," Hagrid growled. "I'll have less of the _our_ forest, if it's all the same ter you. It's not up ter you who comes an' goes in here—"

"No more is it up to you, Hagrid," Magorian said. "I shall let you pass today, because you are accompanied by your young—"

"They're not his!" the black-bodied centaur interrupted. "Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze's teachings—"

"Nevertheless," Magorian cut back in, "the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime.… We do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape us."

"I won' be kept outta the forest by a bunch of mules like you!" Hagrid replied hotly.

"Hagrid," Hermione squeaked, "let's go. Please, let's go!"

Hagrid eyed the centaurs for a moment before turning and continuing away from them.

"We know what you are keeping in the forest, Hagrid!" Magorian added loudly. "Our tolerance is waning!"

Hagrid spun around with a glare. "Yeh'll tolerate him as long as he's here!" he shouted. "It's as much his forest as yours!"

Lucy, Harry, and Hermione pushed against Hagrid to try and make him turn away from the centaurs. The centaurs, however, were the ones to leave the scene first.

Hagrid glared after them, and after a moment, he looked down. He seemed surprised to see the Gryffindors trying to move him. "Calm down, you three," he said, returning to leading them through the trees. "Ruddy old nags, though, eh?"

"I told you they were four years ago," Lucy grumbled.

"Hagrid," Hermione began, "if the centaurs don't want humans in the forest, it doesn't really look as though Harry, Lucy, and I will be able—"

"Ah, you heard wha' they said," Hagrid said. "They wouldn't hurt foals—I mean, kids. Anyway, we can' let ourselves be pushed around by tha' lot.…"

"Nice try," Harry whispered to Hermione.

**~LJ:NK~**

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when they had finally exited the forest. They could hear cheering and shouting coming from the distance.

"Was that another goal?" Hagrid asked, glancing towards the Quidditch pitch. "Or d'you reckon the match is over?"

"I don't know," Hermione said.

Lucy finally got a good look at Harry and Hermione. They both had cuts all over their arms, and their robes were ripped in multiple places. Lucy was sure that she looked no better.

"I reckon it's over, yeh know!" Hagrid said. "Look—there's people comin' out already—if you three hurry, yeh'll be able ter blend in with the crowd, an' no one'll know yeh weren't there!"

"Good idea," Harry said. "Well… see you later, then, Hagrid.…" He led the way towards the Quidditch stadium.

"I don't believe him," Hermione said, shaking her head, once they were out of earshot. "I don't believe him. I _really_ don't believe him—"

"Calm down, 'Mione," Lucy said bracingly.

"_Calm_ _down_!" Hermione said indignantly. "A giant! A giant in the forest! A giant that we're supposed to give English lessons! Always assuming, of course, we can get past the herd of murderous centaurs on the way in and out! I—don't—_believe_—him!"

"We haven't got to do anything yet!" Harry said as they reached the crowd of students. "He's not asking us to do anything unless he gets chucked out, and that might not even happen—"

"Oh, come off it, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, stopping suddenly so the people around them had to swerve around her. "Of course he's going to be chucked out, and to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?"

Lucy and Harry glared disbelievingly at Hermione, who looked upset. "You didn't mean that," Lucy said soothingly.

"No—well—all right… I didn't," she said, "but why does he have to make life so difficult for himself—for _us_?"

"I dunno—" Harry was interrupted by singing.

_Weasley is our King  
Weasley is our King  
He didn't let the Quaffle in  
Weasley is our King…_

"I wish they'd stop singing that _stupid_ song," Hermione seethed. "Haven't they gloated enough? Let's get in before we have to meet the Slytherins—"

_Weasley can save anything,  
He never leaves a single ring,  
That's why Gryffindors all sing:  
Weasley is our King_.

"Wait a minute," Lucy said slowly, listening carefully to the lyrics.

"I hear it, too," Harry said, frowning.

They could see a group of students decked out in red and gold approaching, holding someone high above them. The song was coming from this crowd, rather than a Slytherin one.

_Weasley is our King,  
Weasley is our King,  
He didn't let the Quaffle in,  
Weasley is our King_

"No!" Hermione gasped.

"YES!" Lucy and Harry shouted gleefully.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! LUCY!" Ron shouted, holding the Quidditch Cup in both his hands and riding the wave of Gryffindor supporters. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"

The mass of Gryffindor students continued their march up to the castle, and soon they disappeared inside. Lucy, Harry, and Hermione looked at each other, the smiles falling from their faces.

"We'll save our news 'til tomorrow, shall we?" Harry suggested.

"Yes, all right," Hermione agreed. "I'm not in any hurry.…"

Lucy nodded in agreement, and the three of them hurried into the castle to follow the rest of the Gryffindor students back to the common room.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Again, very book heavy... I'm not a huge fan of the Hagrid chapters in this story, but again, I couldn't really have Lucy not go with.**_

_**Also, I love it when the Gryffindors steal the **_**Weasley is Our King _song. Take that, Malfoy! Ha!_**


	28. 28: Ordinary Wizarding Levels

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 28 – Ordinary Wizarding Levels**

Ron was so elated at helping Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup that Lucy, Harry, and Hermione found it very difficult to choose when to tell him about Grawp. He was enjoying being congratulated and listening to random outbursts of "Weasley is Our King" with the Gryffindors' new lyrics.

Eventually, Lucy, Harry, and Hermione convinced Ron to go outside with them to study. They figured that the chances of being overheard would be much smaller if they were out of the common room.

As soon as they settled down next to the lake, however, Ron began talking about his first save of the match. "Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's," he said, "so I wasn't feeling that confident. Then—I dunno—when Bradley came toward me, just out of nowhere, I thought—_you can do this_! I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goal hoop—my right, obviously, his left—but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left—his right, I mean—and—well—you saw what happened."

He paused to run a hand through his hair, tousling it so it looked like he'd just gotten off his broom, and glanced around to see if there was anyone around. "Then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later—what?" he asked Harry abruptly. "Why are you grinning?"

"I'm not," Harry answered swiftly, looking down at his Transfiguration work. Lucy could still see his smile, but he merely said, "I'm just glad we won, that's all."

"Yeah, _we won_," Ron said with a look of pure bliss. "Did you see the look on Chang's face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?"

Harry's smile dropped immediately. "I suppose she cried, did she?" he guessed.

"Well, yeah—more out of temper than anything, though.…" Ron frowned at the other three suspiciously. "You saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

Harry said, "Er—"

"Well, actually—no, Ron," Lucy said, deciding it was time to tell him what had happened during the match.

Hermione sighed and set her book down. "As a matter of fact, the only bit of the match Harry, Lucy, and I saw was Davies's first goal," she admitted.

"You didn't watch?" Ron asked, clearly upset. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"Well—no," Lucy said.

"But Ron, we didn't want to leave—we _had_ to!" Hermione added pleadingly.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, his face flushing. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," Harry said. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the forest with him—we had no choice—you know how he gets.… Anyway—"

Lucy and Hermione let Harry tell Ron the whole story of Grawp. Lucy watched Ron warily as his face went from bright red with anger to pale with shock.

"_He brought one back and hid it in the fucking forest_?" he asked hoarsely as Harry finished.

"Yep," Harry confirmed simply.

"No," Ron said. "No, he can't have.…" He looked helplessly between Lucy and Hermione.

"Well, he has," Lucy said. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall and enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees."

"And he knows me," Hermione added, "as _Hermy_."

Ron let out a nervous, bark-like laugh. He began, "So, Hagrid wants us to…?"

"Teach him English, yeah," Harry finished for him.

"He's lost his damn mind," Ron decided.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, looking back at her book. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. Unfortunately, he made us promise."

"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all," Ron insisted. "I mean, come on.… We've got exams, and we're about that far—" He held his forefinger and thumb as closed together as he could without letting them touch. "—from being chucked out as it is. Anyway… remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"

"There was Buckbeak," Lucy said. "Besides, we're his friends, and we _promised_."

Ron ran a hand through his hair again, although this time he wasn't doing it for attention. "Well, Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he?" he reasoned. "He's hung on this long—maybe he'll hang on till the end of term, and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."

**~LJ:NK~**

June had arrived, meaning that the O.W.L.s were now right around the corner for the fifth-years. Lucy wanted nothing more than to be enjoying the beautiful weather outside, but she couldn't let herself be tempted by the warm sun and green grass.

The fifth-years were no longer getting homework from their professors. Instead, classes were spent reviewing topics that the teachers were sure would come up on their exams. Lucy could feel herself growing more exhausted, and with one look around at her classmates, she knew she wasn't the only one.

"How many hours d'you think you're doing a day?" Ernie asked one day before Herbology began. He looked slightly manic, his hair messy and his eyes bulging.

"I dunno," Ron said. "A few—"

"More or less than eight?" Ernie demanded.

"Less, I s'ppose," Ron replied uneasily.

"I'm doing eight," Ernie announced. "Eight or nine—eight's my average. I'm getting an hour in before breakfast every day. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. Not so good on Tuesday—only seven and a quarter. Then on Wednesday—"

He was interrupted by Professor Sprout arriving to begin class.

**~LJ:NK~**

As if the students weren't stressed enough, Malfoy knew exactly what to say to make some of the fifth-years panic even more. "Of course, it's not _what_ you know," he said loudly to Crabbe and Goyle outside of Potions class. "It's _who_ you know. Now, Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years—old Griselda Marchbanks—we've had her 'round for dinner and everything—"

"Do you think that's true?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"Nothing we can do about it if it is," Ron replied.

"I don't think it's true," a voice said. Lucy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to see Neville standing behind them, and he explained, "Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."

"What's she like, Neville?" Hermione questioned. "Is she strict?"

"Bit like Gran, really," Neville answered.

"Knowing her won't hurt your chances, though, will it?" Ron tried to reassure Neville, who looked a bit gloomy.

"Oh, I don't think it will make any difference," Neville said. "Gran's always telling Professor Marchbanks I'm not as good as my dad.… Well… you saw what she's like at St. Mungo's.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

As the exams grew ever closer for the fifth-years and seventh-years, a black market sprung up around the school. All kinds of solutions for concentration and sleepiness were being offered to those studying feverishly.

Eddie Carmichael, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, offered Harry and Ron a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir. He claimed that it was the only reason he received nine Outstanding O.W.L.s the year before. Before Ron and Harry could fork over twelve Galleons, however, Hermione confiscated the bottle and poured it down a toilet.

"Hermione, we wanted to buy that!" Ron yelled angrily.

"Don't be stupid," Hermione scoffed. "You might as well take Harold Dingle's powdered dragon claw and have done with it."

"Dingle's got a powdered dragon claw?" Ron asked.

"Not anymore," Hermione sniffed. "I confiscated that, too."

"None of those things actually work, you know," Lucy added, frowning.

"Dragon claw _does_ work!" Ron insisted. "It's supposed to be incredible—really gives your brain a boost—you come over all cunning for a few hours. Hermione, let me have a pinch. Go on—it can't hurt—"

"This stuff can," Hermione said. "I've had a look at it, and it's actually dried doxy droppings."

Harry and Ron didn't express any interest in study aids after that.

**~LJ:NK~**

During their next Transfiguration class, the Gryffindor fifth-years found out the dates and times of their exams.

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall began as the fifth-years copied down the schedule, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night.

"Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbor at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules. I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new—_headmistress_—" Professor McGonagall said the word with a very sour tone. "—has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely—because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school.…"

Professor McGonagall heaved a sigh, and Lucy exchanged a look with Harry. "However, that is no reason not to do your very best," Professor McGonagall concluded. "You have your own futures to think about."

"Please, Professor," Hermione said, waving her hand in the air, "when will we find out our results?"

"An owl will be sent to you sometime in July," Professor McGonagall answered.

"Excellent," Dean sighed, "so we don't have to worry about it 'til the holidays.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

The final weekend before the O.W.L.s began found the Gryffindor fifth-years huddled in the common room, studying furiously. On Sunday afternoon, Harry agreed to quiz Hermione. However, she would continually rip the book out of his hands to check if her answers were correct, and she eventually accidentally hit Harry in the face.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Harry insisted, rubbing his cheek.

Lucy glanced up to see him looking very cross and turning back to his own notes. Then she took a quick look around the circle of fifth-years.

Ron had his fingers in his ears, reading his Charms notes and mouthing something. Sally-Anne was practicing wand movements with a rolled-up bit of parchment, and Neville was reading something in his textbook. Seamus and Dean were quizzing each other, and Lavender and Parvati were practicing locomotion charms by racing their pencils around the table.

**~LJ:NK~**

Dinner that evening was quiet as the fifth-years ate heartily.

Finally, Hermione dropped her fork onto her plate, the nerves obvious on her face. "Oh, my goodness," she whispered, looking out into the entrance hall. "Is that them? Is that the examiners?"

Lucy, Harry, and Ron quickly turned their heads to look where Hermione was staring. Umbridge was in the entrance hall, greeting a group of elderly witches and wizards.

"_Those_ are the examiners?" Lucy asked.

"Shall we go and have a closer look?" Ron suggested.

Lucy, Hermione, and Harry all agreed, and the four of them hurried from the hall. They slowly walked past the examiners. Umbridge was talking to one of the witches, who may have been a bit deaf, as she was yelling back her answers to the headmistress. Lucy assumed this was Madam Marchbanks.

"Journey was fine—journey was fine—we've made it plenty of times before!" the witch was saying as the fifth-years halted at the base of the marble staircase. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately! No idea where he is, I suppose?"

Ron quickly dropped down to the floor, pretending to lace up his shoes. Lucy, Hermione, and Harry stopped to act as if they were waiting for him.

"None at all," Umbridge replied, giving the four Gryffindors a menacing look, "but I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough—"

"I doubt it," Madam Marchbanks scoffed. "Not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found! I should know.… Examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s.… Did things with a wand I'd never seen before—"

"Yes—well…" Umbridge said vaguely.

Lucy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron began their way up the stairs as slowly as they could get away with.

"Let me show you to the staffroom," Umbridge said to the examiners. "I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey.…"

**~LJ:NK~**

After having trouble falling asleep and waking up early, Lucy and the other Gryffindor fifth-years went down to breakfast on the day of their first exam. Anxiety was high, and many of the students were trying to fit in some last-minute studying.

When breakfast had finished, the rest of the school went off to their classes as usual, and the fifth-years and seventh-years gathered in the entrance hall.

Jeremy came over to Lucy, who was nervously braiding a chunk of her hair. "Are you all right?" he asked, a faint smile on his lips.

"Yes and no," Lucy replied. "Yes, because I know these exams aren't the end of the world—but no, because I'm still nervous."

Jeremy pressed his lips against her forehead. "You'll do fine. I know it," he assured her. "I've seen the marks you get on your Charms homework. You know your stuff."

"Thanks," Lucy sighed. She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a brief hug. "Good luck. You'll do great, too."

Soon, they were calling the students back into the Great Hall. The four house tables had been removed and replaced with many single-student desks. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the room, waiting for everyone to get settled.

When everyone was quiet, she said, "You may begin." She turned over the giant hourglass that sat next to her, and the room was filled with the sounds of papers fluttering and quill scratching.

**~LJ:NK~**

"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?" Hermione asked. She still had the exam paper in her hands. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on Cheering Charms. I just ran out of time. Did you put in the countercharm for hiccups? I wasn't sure whether I ought to. It felt like too much—and on question twenty-three—"

"Hermione, we've been through this before…" Ron moaned. "We're not going through every exam afterward. It's bad enough doing them once."

Soon it was lunchtime, and the fifth-years trooped back into the Great Hall, where the four house tables had reappeared. Then, when they were finished with their meal, they once again waited outside the hall.

This time, the students were called into the room in groups of four. Of Lucy's friends, Hermione was the first to go into the Great Hall for her practical exam.

Lucy was called in with the very next group, along with Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl named Rhonda, and a Hufflepuff boy named Wayne. The four of them entered the Great Hall, and Professor Flitwick directed them to the available examiners.

Lucy went to the designated examiner, who had her perform a few charms. She had no problems with any of the spells, and the examiner let her go with a wide smile and hearty farewell.

Lucy wasn't allowed to talk to any of the fifth-years who hadn't taken their exam, so she had no choice but to head back to the Gryffindor common room. There she found Hermione furiously studying for Transfiguration.

"That wasn't so bad," Lucy commented, sinking into the chair next to her friend. "I don't want to go so far as to say it was easy, but it definitely wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be."

"No, it wasn't too difficult," Hermione agreed, "but this is only the beginning."

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the week passed in a similar fashion. The next day, they had their Transfiguration exam. The written portion was a bit more difficult for Lucy than the Charms one had been, but the practical went almost as well. It took her two tries to transfigure her rat into a goblet; the first time she did it, the goblet still had whiskers.

On Wednesday, they had their Herbology exam, and on Thursday, they had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lucy had never felt more grateful for the D.A. than she did while taking her exam that day. Although there were a couple of questions on the written part that confused her, she felt very confident during the practical exam. When the examiner let her leave, Lucy walked right past Umbridge, who had a sour look on her face.

On Friday, Harry and Ron had the day off, Lucy had Muggle Studies in the morning, and Hermione had Ancient Runes in the afternoon. Lucy felt very confident about her Muggle Studies exam, and she went back to the common room afterwards in quite a happy mood.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked when Lucy found him and Ron lounging in front of a chess set.

Hermione was sitting nearby, her nose in her Ancient Runes textbook.

"Very well," Lucy replied, smiling. "How has your day off been? Looks like you've gotten a lot done," she added sarcastically as she watched one of Ron's castles tackle Harry's bishop.

"We've got all weekend to study," Ron said. "We've decided that we've earned a little break. Sit down, Lucy; put your feet up."

**~LJ:NK~**

After Harry and Ron had finished their game, the four of them decided to go down to lunch. They ate quickly, and then Hermione went off to take her Ancient Runes exam. Lucy, Harry, and Ron went back to the common room.

A few hours later, Hermione stomped into the common room, looking upset.

"How were the runes?" Ron asked.

"I mistranslated _ehwaz_," Hermione replied angrily. "It means _partnership_, not _defense_. I messed it up with _eihwaz_."

"Ah, well," Ron said, "that's only one mistake, isn't it? You'll still get—"

"Oh, shut up," Hermione snapped. "It could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail."

"Calm down, 'Mione," Lucy said soothingly, but Hermione was too worked up to be comforted.

"What's more, someone's put another niffler in Umbridge's office," she reported. "I don't know how they got it through that new door, but I just walked past there. Umbridge was shrieking her head off—by the sound of it, it tried to take a chunk out of her leg—"

"Good," Harry and Ron said.

"It is _not_ good!" Hermione shot back. "She thinks it's Hagrid doing it, remember? And we do _not_ want Hagrid chucked out!"

"He's teaching at the moment," Harry said, pointing out the window. "She can't blame him."

Lucy glanced outside to see Hagrid standing at the edge of the forest with a class in front of him.

"Oh, you're so _naïve_ sometimes, Harry," Hermione said exasperatedly. "You really think Umbridge will wait for _proof_?" Then she turned and left for the girls' staircase.

"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," Ron commented.

**~LJ:NK~**

Hermione remained in a fairly bad mood for the rest of the weekend, but Lucy found her easy to avoid. Instead of studying in the Gryffindor common room, Lucy joined Jeremy in the library on both Saturday and Sunday to study for their Potions exam, which was scheduled for Monday.

The written exam for Potions was difficult for Lucy, but the practical went pretty well. She found that it was much easier to brew a potion when Snape wasn't lurking around the room. At the end of the practical, she bottled up a sample of her potion with confidence and joined the rest of the Gryffindor fifth-years on the way back to their tower.

"Only four exams left," Parvati said as they climbed a set of stairs.

"_Only_!" Hermione exclaimed. "_I've_ got Arithmancy, and it's probably the toughest subject there is!"

"Hermione," Lucy groaned, tired of her friend's attitude.

Nobody else said anything to Hermione, who remained moody for the rest of the night and ended up taking her frustrations out on a couple of first-years by telling them off for laughing too loudly.

**~LJ:NK~**

Tuesday was their Care of Magical Creatures exam. Lucy felt that the written exam went pretty well, and the practical went even better, although she did receive a minor burn as she was cleaning a fire-crab.

On Wednesday, the fifth-years had their Astronomy written exam in the morning. Then in the afternoon was Arithmancy.

When Lucy and Hermione had finished with their exam, they headed back to the common room and met up with Harry and Ron.

"How was Arithmancy?" Ron asked tentatively, looking warily at Hermione.

"Well, I think I've done all right," Hermione answered.

Lucy saw both Harry and Ron breathe sighs of relief that Hermione no longer seemed to be in a foul mood.

"Just time for a quick look over our star charts before dinner, then?" Hermione suggested, and the other three agreed.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, the fifth-years went up to the Astronomy tower to find a very clear sky above them. The moon shone brightly onto the grounds below as they all set up their telescopes. The examiners passed out the charts to be filled out, and soon they were all working quietly.

Towards the end of the exam, Lucy had finished drawing one of the constellations onto her chart when she saw movement down on the grounds. She paused, watching as a group of people glided across the grass. Someone cleared their throat from nearby, but Lucy's eyes were fixed on the group moving away from the castle. The person at the front of the parade was obviously Umbridge.

"Miss, the examination is not over yet," one of the examiners said quietly, stopping next to Lucy's telescope.

"I know," Lucy breathed, still watching the group of people below.

They had reached Hagrid's hut, and Lucy could just make out the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

The examiner tried again, "Miss—"

Suddenly there was a loud roar from Hagrid's hut. Lucy's breath caught in her throat.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," a different examiner announced. "Ahem—twenty minutes to go."

Lucy didn't even bother looking back into her telescope; she was too concerned about what was happening below.

Then there was a loud bang, and Hagrid's front door had burst open. The man barreled out of his hut, his fist flying through the air, as the six people sent red Stunners towards him.

"No!" Hermione gasped.

"My dear!" an examiner exclaimed. "This is an examination!"

"Hagrid!" Lucy shouted, standing up and leaning against the edge of the tower.

"Miss, I must insist that you return to your telescope—!"

Lucy ignored the examiner, watching as the Stunners bounced off Hagrid, seeming to have no effect on him.

"Be reasonable, Hagrid!" one of the six on the ground cried.

"Reasonable be damned!" Hagrid yelled back. "Yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

There was a howl as Fang jumped in front of his master, trying to defend him, and one of the figures sent a Stunner at the dog. Lucy gasped as Hagrid grabbed the one who Stunned Fang and threw him across the grounds.

"Look!" Parvati said, pointing down towards the front door of the castle. It had opened, and someone was running out towards Hagrid's hut.

"Now, really!" an examiner said. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped at them.

"How dare you!" the new person below was shouting as they ran across the grass. "How _dare_ you!"

"It's McGonagall!" Hermione said in a hushed voice.

"Leave him alone!" Professor McGonagall was commanding. "_Alone_, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing—_nothing_ to warrant such—"

Lucy screamed, along with many of the other students. Of the five remaining members of the group on the grounds, four of them sent Stunners straight at Professor McGonagall. The professor was lifted off her feet and thrown to the ground.

"No!" Lucy gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth.

"Galloping gargoyles!" one of the examiners cried. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"

"COWARDS!" Hagrid shouted. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THA'—AN' THA'—" He took a couple of swipes at the people closest to him, sending them to the ground.

Lucy heard Hermione murmur faintly, "Oh, my—"

Meanwhile, Hagrid had hoisted Fang's limp body over his shoulders and was standing tall in front of the remaining three figures.

"Get him! Get him!" Umbridge yelled.

Neither of the others left seemed to want to get close to Hagrid, however, and Hagrid turned and ran from the grounds. Umbridge tried to Stun him once more, but she missed. Then Hagrid had disappeared.

The silence that followed was very tense.

Finally, one of the examiners said, "Um—five minutes to go, everybody.…"

Lucy half-heartedly returned to her chart, which was mostly finished anyway. When the exam was over, she hurriedly put her things away. She met up with Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the bottom of the Astronomy tower.

"That evil woman!" Hermione raged. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"

"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie commented, stopping on his way past them.

Jeremy was also quick to join them, putting his arm around Lucy's shoulders.

"But Hagrid did well, didn't he?" Ron pointed out. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"

"It'll be his giant blood," Hermione replied. "It's very hard to Stun a giant. They're like trolls—really tough—but poor Professor McGonagall.… Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?"

"Dreadful, dreadful," Ernie added. "Well, I'm off to bed.… Night, all.…"

Many of the other fifth-years were beginning to disperse, as well.

"Are you all right?" Jeremy asked Lucy quietly.

Lucy, who could feel her hands still shaking, nodded her head. "I'll be fine," she said. "You'd better get back to your dormitory."

Jeremy agreed and kissed her softly. When he left, Lucy turned back to her friends.

"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," Ron said. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?"

"I suppose so," Hermione answered. "Oh, this is awful. I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid, too.…"

"And McGonagall," Lucy added in a whisper.

The four of them walked back to the common room, where they found many of the other Gryffindors awake and listening to what had happened from Dean and Seamus.

"But why sack Hagrid _now_?" Angelina asked when Dean and Seamus had finished. "It's not like Trelawney—he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"

"Umbridge hates part-humans," Lucy scowled. "She was always going to try and get rid of Hagrid."

"She thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office," Hermione added.

"Oh, bloody hell," Lee Jordan spoke up, looking horrified. "It's me's been putting the nifflers in her office. Fred and George left me a couple—I've been levitating them in through her window—"

"She'd have sacked him anyway," Dean said. "He was too close to Dumbledore."

"That's true," Harry agreed.

"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," Sally-Anne whispered.

"They carried her back up to the castle," Colin Creevey reported. "We watched through the dormitory window. She didn't look very well.…"

"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," Alicia insisted. "She's never failed yet."

**~LJ:NK~**

Nobody seemed to want to go to bed, even though the fifth-years and seventh-years had their last exams the next day. It was almost four in the morning before Lucy and Hermione dragged themselves up to their dormitory to get some sleep.

In the morning was the Divination exam. Lucy was again grateful that she hadn't taken Divination; she needed the extra time to try and wake herself up for her last exam that afternoon.

Harry and Ron returned to the common room before lunch.

"How did it go?" Lucy asked them.

"All right," Ron sighed. "I mean, I didn't expect to pass anyway.…"

At two o'clock, the fifth-years went down to the Great Hall to take their last exam, which was History of Magic. The examiners passed out the papers when everyone was seated.

"Turn over your papers," the examiner at the front of the room announced. "You may begin.…" She turned over the hour glass next to her, and the fifth-years started their final exam.

It was slightly dull, but Lucy forced herself to keep going. She was tired, and she just wanted the exams to be over. This exam was proving to be the hardest, but only because Lucy was having a hard time concentrating.

They were nearing the end of the exam when there was a sudden yell from somewhere behind Lucy. She recognized the voice and automatically turned to find Harry. She looked up just in time to see him sliding out of his chair and onto the floor of the Great Hall.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, unable to help herself. She tried to rise from her seat, but an examiner's hand was on her shoulder immediately.

"Silence, please," the woman said gruffly. "Return to your examination."

Another examiner had hurried over to Harry and was helping him off the floor. "Come along, dear boy," the man said, dragging Harry from the room. "We'll just take you up to the hospital wing."

When Harry and the examiner were gone, Lucy looked around to exchange glances with Ron at the back of the room. She knew he was thinking the same as she was.…

_What the hell was that all about?_

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Headcannon that the fifth-years sit their O.W.L.s and the seventh-years sit their N.E.W.T.s at the same time. They split the Great Hall down the middle, for both the written and practical exams. Also, only some of the subjects have both a written and a practical exam. It just doesn't work to have every subject have a two-part exam in two weeks.**_

_**The subjects that have a written and a practical portion are: Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy**_

_**The subjects that have only a written portion are: Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Divination, and History of Magic.**_


	29. 29: After Harry's Vision

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 29 – After Harry's Vision**

The next ten minutes went by agonizingly slowly for Lucy. She couldn't concentrate on her last question and ended up scribbling something down that she was sure didn't make any sense. Finally, the examiners let the fifth-years leave, and Lucy, Hermione, and Ron wasted no time running out of the Great Hall.

They scrambled up the marble staircase and found Harry waiting for them at the top.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"

"Where have you been?" Ron asked.

"Come with me," Harry said. "Come on—I've got to tell you something.…"

He led the other three down a corridor and into an empty classroom. Lucy, Hermione, and Ron went into the room, and Harry shut the door behind them.

"Voldemort's got Sirius," he said, looking at the three of them in turn.

"_What_?" Lucy yelped, her eyes widening in alarm.

Hermione began, "How d'you—?"

"Saw it," Harry cut in. "Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam."

"But—but where? How?" Hermione asked, her face pale.

"I dunno how," Harry replied, "but I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls, and they're at the end of row ninety-seven.… He's trying to use Sirius to get whatever he wants from in there.… He's torturing him—says he'll end by killing him—" Harry walked shakily over to a desk and sat down. "How're we going to get there?" he asked hoarsely.

Lucy, Ron, and Hermione stared at him.

"G-get there?" Ron eventually repeated.

"Get to the Department of Mysteries so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry insisted.

"But—Harry…" Lucy trailed off, not sure what to tell him.

"What? _What?_" Harry snapped.

"Harry," Hermione began, "er—how—how did Voldemort get into the Ministry of Magic without anybody realizing he was there?"

"How do I know?" Harry cried. "The question is how _we're_ going to fucking get in there!"

"Harry, think about this," Hermione said. "It's five o'clock in the afternoon.… The Ministry of Magic must be full of workers.… How would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen? Harry—they're probably the two most wanted wizards in the _world_.… You think they could get into a building full of Aurors undetected?"

"I dunno—Voldemort used a damn Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry said, waving his hand carelessly. "Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been—"

"You've never been there, Harry," Hermione corrected him. "You've only dreamed about the place. That's all."

"They're not normal dreams!" Harry yelled, standing up and glaring at Hermione. "How d'you explain Ron's dad then? What was all that about? How come I knew what had happened to him?"

"He's got a point," Ron murmured, but Hermione ignored him.

"But this is just—just so _unlikely_!" she said. "Harry, how on earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he's been in Grimmauld Place all the time?"

"He could have left," Lucy supplied quietly, feeling uneasy. "He's been wanting to get out of that house forever, and he could have finally cracked—"

"But _why_?" Hermione continued. "Why on earth would Voldemort want to use _Sirius_ to get the weapon or whatever the thing is?"

"I dunno. There could be loads of reasons!" Harry insisted. "Maybe Sirius is just someone Voldemort doesn't care about seeing hurt—"

"You know what? I've just thought of something," Ron spoke up. "Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, wasn't he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!"

"Yeah—and that's why Dumbledore's been so keen to keep Sirius locked up all the time!" Harry added excitedly.

Lucy frowned. "That doesn't make much sense," she said. "Sirius said that when he left his family, he never spoke to them again. Why would his brother have told him anything when they weren't on speaking terms?"

"Not to mention that we have no proof for _any_ of this," Hermione said hotly. "There's no proof Voldemort and Sirius are even there—"

"Hermione, Harry's fucking seen them!" Ron snarled.

"Okay," Hermione sighed, "I've just got to say this—"

"What?" Harry asked harshly.

"You—this isn't a criticism, Harry!" Hermione warned. "But you do—sort of—I mean—don't you think you've got a bit of a—a—_saving-people thing_?"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean, a _saving-people thing_?" Harry questioned.

"Well—you—" Hermione looked nervous, but she continued anyway, "I mean—last year, for instance—in the lake—during the Tournament—you shouldn't have—I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl.… You got a bit—carried away.… I mean, it was really great of you and everything," she said quickly, noticing the angry look on Harry's face. "Everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do—"

"That's funny," Harry said, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time _acting the hero._… Is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the fucking hero again?"

"No, no, no!" Hermione cried. "That's not what I meant at all!"

"Well, spit out what you've got to say, because we're wasting time here!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" Lucy snapped. "Stop attacking her!"

"What I'm trying to say is—Voldemort _knows_ you, Harry!" Hermione said. "He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there—it's the kind of thing he does! He knows you're the—the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get _you_ into the Department of Myst—?"

"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not," Harry said exasperatedly. "They've taken McGonagall to St. Mungo's. There isn't anyone left from the Order at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!"

"But, Harry—what if your dream was—was just that, a dream?" Hermione asked desperately.

Harry let out a loud cry. "You don't get it!" he shouted. "I'm not having fucking nightmares! I'm not _just_ dreaming! What d'you think all the Occlumency was for? Why d'you think Dumbledore wanted me prevented from seeing these things? They're _real_, Hermione—Sirius is trapped—I've seen him—Voldemort's got him, and no one else knows! That means _we're_ the only ones who can save him, and if you don't want to do it, fine! But I'm going, understand? And if I remember rightly, you didn't have a problem with my _saving-people thing_ when it was _you_ I was saving from the damn dementors, or—" He glared over at Ron. "—when it was _your_ _sister_ I was saving from the basilisk—!"

"I never said I had a problem!" Ron insisted.

"But Harry, you've just said it," Hermione said. "Dumbledore wanted you to learn to shut these things out of your mind. If you'd done Occlumency properly, you'd never have seen this—"

Harry yelled, "IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO ACT LIKE I HAVEN'T SEEN—!"

"Sirius told you there was nothing more important than you learning to close your mind!" Lucy interrupted him.

"WELL," Harry roared, "I EXPECT HE'D SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF HE KNEW WHAT I'D JUST—!"

The door to the classroom opened, cutting Harry off, and the four of them turned to see Ginny entering the room, followed by Luna.

"Hi," Ginny said. "We recognized Harry's voice—what are you yelling about?"

"Never you mind," Harry said sharply.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "There's no need to take that tone with me," she said. "I was only wondering whether I could help."

"Well, you can't," Harry replied.

"You're being rather rude, you know," Luna said.

Harry swore quietly and turned his back on the girls.

"She's _right_," Lucy agreed roughly.

"Wait," Hermione said. "Wait.… Harry, they _can_ help." Everyone turned to her, and she said, "Listen, Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left headquarters—"

"I've told you," Harry began, "I saw—"

"Harry, I'm begging you, _please_!" Hermione stopped him. "Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London—if we find out he's not there, then I swear I won't try and stop you. I'll come with you, and I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him—"

"Sirius is being tortured _now_!" Harry cried. "We haven't got time to waste—"

"Harry, what if this is a trick of Voldemort's?" Lucy pointed out. "We've got to check before we do anything rash."

"How?" Harry asked. "How're we going to check?"

"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," Hermione replied, looking anxious. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts. That's where we can use Ginny and Luna."

"Yeah, we'll do it," Ginny agreed.

"When you say _Sirius_, are you talking about Stubby Boardman?" Luna asked, but nobody paid her any attention.

"Okay," Harry said. "Okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you. Otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now—"

"The Department of Mysteries?" Luna echoed interestedly. "How are you going to get there?"

"Never mind that for now, Luna," Lucy said absently.

"Right," Hermione said, beginning to pace back and forth. "Right—well—one of us has to go and find Umbridge and—and send her off in the wrong direction—keep her away from her office. They could tell her—I don't know—that Peeves is up to something awful as usual—"

"I'll do it," Ron volunteered. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something. It's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way.…"

"I'll come with you," Lucy said. "Two witnesses might be more convincing."

"Okay," Hermione continued. "Now, we need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or else some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off—"

Ginny spoke up, "Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas." The rest of them look at her, impressed with how quickly she had come up with a distraction, and she added, "Fred and George were planning to do it before they left."

"Okay," Hermione said. "Well, then, Harry, you and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak, and we'll sneak into the office. Then you can talk to Sirius—"

"He's not fucking there, Hermione!" Harry insisted.

"I mean, you can—can check whether Sirius is at home or not while I keep watch," Hermione amended. "But I don't think you should be in there alone. Lee's already proved the window's a weak spot, sending those nifflers through it."

"I—okay, thanks," Harry said.

"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," Hermione said. "Not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."

"Five minutes'll be enough," Harry said. "C'mon—let's go—"

"_Now_?" Hermione squeaked.

"Of _course,_ now!" Harry shouted. "What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured _right now_!"

"I—oh, all right," Hermione gave in. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak, and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, okay?"

Harry wordlessly tore from the room, disappearing in seconds.

"There are so many ways this could go wrong," Hermione moaned.

"We'd better get down to the corridor," Lucy said.

The others agreed, and they went up to the second floor to wait for Harry.

**~LJ:NK~**

It was only a few minutes until Harry showed up again. "Got it," he said. "Ready to go, then?"

"All right," Hermione said nervously. "So, Ron, Lucy—you two go and head Umbridge off.… Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor.… Harry and I will get the cloak on and wait until the coast is clear.…"

"Let's go," Ron said determinedly.

Lucy nodded, and the two of them hurried off.

"Where do you reckon she is?" Ron asked.

"Let's try her classroom first," Lucy answered. "Classes just finished, after all."

They rushed down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and found Umbridge there.

"Professor!" Lucy called as she and Ron entered the room. "Professor, we've just seen Peeves up in the Transfiguration department, smashing everything in his wake!"

Umbridge looked up at the two Gryffindors. "Really?" she asked in her sickly-sweet voice. "Peeves is up in the Transfiguration department? Well, I just received word from Filch—not a moment ago, in fact—that Peeves has been busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of the school telescopes."

"W-well, Filch must be mistaken," Ron said. "We just came from the Transfiguration department—"

"And what were the two of you doing in the Transfiguration department?" Umbridge interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "Were you not just in the Great Hall taking your History of Magic O.W.L.?" Lucy and Ron exchanged a quick glance as Umbridge continued calmly, "In fact, I have also just received word that there is someone breaking into my office. So, do you know what I think? I think that whomever is breaking into my office sent the two of you as a diversion. Miss Runcorn! Vaisey!"

Lucy and Ron wheeled around to see two large Slytherins advancing towards them.

"Please apprehend these two, and then follow me to my office," Umbridge said. "Take their wands!" she added sharply as Lucy and Ron pulled theirs out.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Runcorn shouted, pointing her wand at the two Gryffindors.

"_Protego_!" Lucy cried, blocking the spell.

Vaisey began, "_Petrificus_—"

"_Rictusempra_!" Ron said, and Vaisey fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

"_Finite_!" Umbridge shouted. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Lucy's and Ron's wands shot out of their hands, and Umbridge caught them. Vaisey picked himself off the ground as Umbridge passed the wands over to Runcorn.

"Did you really think that you'd be able to fight through all three of us?" Umbridge asked. "Bind their hands," she added to the two Slytherins.

Vaisey stepped forward and produced some ropes from his wand, tying Lucy's and Ron's hands behind their backs.

"You can't do this!" Lucy snapped at Umbridge desperately.

"I can do anything I wish!" Umbridge replied scathingly, waving her own wand, and Lucy felt herself being gagged. "I am the headmistress at this school," Umbridge went on, "and you students would do well to remember so!" She turned to her Inquisitorial Squad members and said, "Gag the boy and bring them with."

Vaisey stuffed a gag into Ron's mouth. Then the two Slytherins began to push the Gryffindors down the corridor, following Umbridge closely.

"What's all this?" Umbridge asked as they reached the corridor with her office in it.

There were flashes of bright lights as Ginny and Luna fought off another few members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Umbridge waved her wand, disarming the two girls.

"Bind their hands and gag them," Umbridge instructed. "When they are apprehended, bring them into my office. Malfoy, Miss Bullstrode—come with me."

Lucy turned to see Malfoy and Millicent Bullstrode following Umbridge into her office. The remaining Slytherins—Warrington, Crabbe, and Goyle—bound Luna's and Ginny's hands together.

"No!" a voice shouted from nearby.

Suddenly, Neville was charging towards Goyle, who was holding Ginny hostage, but Warrington waved his wand lazily, stopping Neville in his tracks.

"Take him, as well," he instructed. "I'm sure the headmistress wouldn't mind."

Crabbe tied Neville's hands together and stuffed a gag into his mouth. Then Warrington pushed the door of Umbridge's office open and started shoving the Gryffindors and Luna into the room.

"Got 'em all," Warrington announced when they had all entered. "_That_ one—" He pointed to Neville. "—tried to stop us taking _her_—" He pointed at Ginny. "—so I brought him along, too."

Lucy saw that Harry was on his feet in front of Umbridge, while Hermione was being held by Millicent Bullstrode.

"Good, good," Umbridge said, nodding. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

Malfoy let out a laugh from where he was standing.

Umbridge, grinning widely, sat down in an armchair. "So, Potter," she began. "You stationed lookouts around my office, and you sent these _buffoons_—" She nodded at Lucy and Ron. "—to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department. Unfortunately for you, I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so. Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall—I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone.…"

The members of the Inquisitorial Squad guffawed. Lucy struggled against the hands of her captor, but she couldn't break free.

"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry growled.

"Very well," Umbridge said. "Very well, Mr. Potter.… I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco—fetch Professor Snape."

Malfoy left the room, looking delighted.

_Snape_. Lucy's eyes widened slightly, and she exchanged a glance with Hermione. Lucy couldn't even believe they hadn't thought to talk to Snape. _He was part of the Order; surely he would have been able to help us,_ Lucy thought.

Lucy, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny continued to struggle against the Slytherins, but it seemed that there was no use. Luna was the only one who was standing still, gazing out the window.

Soon, Malfoy returned, leading Snape into the office.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" he asked, looking indifferently around the room.

"Ah, Professor Snape," Umbridge said briskly. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient."

Color appeared on Umbridge's cheeks. "You can make some more, can't you?" she demanded.

"Certainly," Snape said. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."

"A month?" Umbridge asked, furious. "A _month_? I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"

"Really?" Snape turned to look at Harry, his eyebrows raised. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."

"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge cried. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"

"I have already told you," Snape answered evenly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter—and I assure you, I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did—I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling—"

"You are on probation!" Umbridge screeched, and Snape raised his eyebrows at her. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better—Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now, get out of my office!"

Lucy watched in shock as Snape simply turned to leave.

"He's got Padfoot!" Harry yelled suddenly. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!"

Snape froze, his hand on the office door.

"Padfoot?" Umbridge repeated, confused but eager. "What is Padfoot? Where _what_ is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"

Snape slowly revolved to look at Harry once more. "I have no idea," the Potions professor said. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me, I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. Crabbe, loosen your hold a little—if Longbottom suffocates, it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."

Then he left the office, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Very well," Umbridge said in a shaky voice, drawing the attention back to her. "Very well.… I am left with no alternative.… This is more than a matter of school discipline.… This is an issue of Ministry security… Yes—yes.…" She stared at Harry, looking almost anxious. "You are forcing me, Potter.… I do not want to, but sometimes circumstances justify the use.… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice.… The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge finished quietly.

"No!" Hermione yelled; she was the only one who wasn't gagged. "Professor Umbridge—it's illegal!"

Umbridge didn't say anything to her; she raised her wand to Harry, a strangely excited look forming in her eyes.

"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" Hermione tried again.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge said, her wand shaking in her hand. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same—"

"It was _you_?" Harry asked. "_You_ sent the dementors after me?"

"_Somebody_ had to act," Umbridge answered. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow—discrediting you—but I was the one who actually _did_ something about it!… Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today, though. Not now.…" She took a breath and shouted, "_Cruc_—"

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "No—Harry—Harry, we have to tell her!"

"No way!" Harry yelled back.

Lucy looked at Hermione, noticing the desperate way she was attempting to get away from Millicent.

"We'll have to, Harry! She'll force it out of you anyway! What's—what's the point—?" Hermione's voice broke, and she began to sob, throwing her hands over her face.

Millicent took a few steps away from Hermione, looking disgusted.

"Well, well, well!" Umbridge said. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl! Come on!"

"Er—my—nee—no!" Ron managed to yell around his gag. Ginny and Neville stared incredulously at Hermione, and Lucy was also at a loss as to why Hermione was breaking down.

"I'm—I'm sorry, everyone," Hermione choked out, "but—I can't stand it—"

"That's right! That's right, girl!" Umbridge urged. She grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and pushed her into the armchair in the corner. "Now, then—with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," Hermione began, "well, he was _trying_ to speak to Professor Dumbledore—"

Lucy exchanged glances of relief with Ginny and Ron.

"Dumbledore?" Umbridge echoed. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"

"Well—no!" Hermione cried. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, and the Three Broomsticks, and even the Hog's Head—"

"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" Umbridge snapped.

Lucy watched as Ron strained against the Slytherin holding him, his face angry.

"But—but we needed to tell him something important!" Hermione said. She held her hands tightly over her face.

"Yes?" Umbridge said. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"We—we wanted to t-tell him it's r-ready!" Hermione replied.

"What's ready?" Umbridge asked eagerly, shaking Hermione by the shoulders. "What's ready, girl?"

"The—the weapon," Hermione sobbed.

"Weapon? _Weapon_?" Umbridge repeated, beside herself. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"

"Y-y-yes," Hermione answered, "but he had to leave b-before it was finished. N-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him to t-t-tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?" Umbridge demanded.

"We don't r-r-really understand it," Hermione said. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do.…"

Umbridge stood up straight, looking overjoyed. "Lead me to the weapon," she commanded.

"I'm not showing—_them_," Hermione said, peeking at the Slytherins through her fingers.

"It is not for you to set conditions," Umbridge said.

"Fine," Hermione said. "Fine—let them see it! I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right—oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them, they'll be able to s-sort you out!"

Umbridge hesitated, weighing Hermione's words in her mind. Then she took a look around at the Slytherins that made up her Inquisitorial Squad. "All right, dear, let's make it just you and me…" Umbridge eventually said. "And we'll take Potter, too, shall we? Get up, now—"

"Professor," Malfoy spoke up. "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after—"

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy. Do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" Umbridge asked, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return, and make sure none of _these_—" She gestured to the remaining Gryffindors and Luna. "—escape."

"All right," Malfoy agreed reluctantly.

"You two can go ahead of me and show me the way," Umbridge said, pointing her wand towards Hermione and Harry. "Lead on.…"

She marched them out of the room, leaving Lucy, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna behind in the captivity of the Inquisitorial Squad.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few minutes after Umbridge had left, the Slytherins had pushed their captives together into a corner and were now murmuring to one another. As far as Lucy could tell, they seemed disappointed that Umbridge hadn't allowed at least one of them to go with her.

Lucy glanced out the window of the office, and her eyes went wide. Hermione was guiding Harry and Umbridge towards the forest. Lucy looked over and caught Ginny's eye. She gestured towards the window, so Ginny would look outside, too.

Twenty minutes went by before anything else happened. Lucy still wasn't sure what they were going to do when she looked over at Ginny again. Ginny looked back at her and slowly winked. Lucy frowned then looked down to see that Ginny had managed to undo the ropes around her wrists.

Ginny pushed herself to her feet, spitting her gag out.

"Hey—!" one of the Slytherins shouted, but Ginny was quicker. She snatched the wand out of his limp hand and pointed it at him, sending a Stunner towards him.

"Turn around!" Ginny shouted at Lucy, Ron, Neville, and Luna.

They all did as they were told, and Ginny quickly cut their bonds. The rest of them pulled the gags out of their mouths as Millicent Bullstrode tackled Ginny, scratching at the Gryffindor's face.

"No!" Lucy cried. She picked up an ink bottle from Umbridge's desk and threw it at the Slytherin.

Ginny was able to roll away. "_Expelliarmus_!" she shouted, pointing the stolen wand at Malfoy, who had the captives' wands.

Lucy, Neville, Ron, Ginny, and Luna picked up their own wands and started to send spells towards the Inquisitorial Squad.

After a few minutes, the Slytherins were either lying unconscious or had fled from the room. Lucy gingerly touched her lip, which was quite tender. She looked around at Neville, Ron, and Ginny, all of whom were sporting small injuries, as well. Luna was the only one who looked unscathed.

"Now what?" Ron asked.

"Why were they going into the forest?" Lucy asked, frowning. "There is no weapon, so what on _earth_ is Hermione doing?"

"Who went into the forest?" Neville asked, looking out the window but not seeing anything.

"Lucy and I saw Hermione and Harry leading Umbridge into the forest nearly half an hour ago," Ginny explained.

"We should follow them," Ron said immediately. He looked around at the others. "I mean, I'm going to follow them."

"Me, too," Lucy agreed. She picked up two wands from the floor that she knew to be Harry's and Hermione's.

"We're coming, too," Ginny said determinedly. Neville and Luna agreed, as well, although they didn't say anything.

"Let's go, then," Lucy said. "No running, though; we don't want to look too suspicious."

They set off through the castle, trying hard to look nonchalant, and soon found themselves crossing the grounds.

"What do we do now?" Ginny spoke up as they neared the forest. "There's no way we can just wander around the forest until we find them."

"Maybe we should wait out here?" Neville suggested, sounding anxious.

"Well, I don't think we should just stand out here," Lucy said thoughtfully. "If anyone sees us, they're going to wonder what we're doing. We should at least go in a little way, so nobody will be able to see us from the castle."

She led the way into the forest.

**~LJ:NK~**

After walking for a few minutes, they stopped, unsure of what to do next.

"Hopefully they'll come back this way," Lucy said. "This is the main path, after all."

"Where do you reckon they went?" Ron asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Lucy answered. "Hermione was walking very determinedly, though, so she must have had some kind of plan.…"

The five students stood in silence for a little while. Then they heard something crunching through the forest nearby.

"What's that?" Neville squeaked, obviously nervous.

"Let's check," Ron said, and he and Lucy led the other three towards the source of the noise.

Then they heard a voice. "Well, we can't do anything without wands. Anyway, Harry, exactly _how_ were you planning to get all the way to London?"

"Yeah, we were just wondering that," Ron said, stepping forward to reveal himself to Harry and Hermione, who wheeled around in surprise.

"So, had any ideas?" Lucy asked, handing Harry and Hermione their wands.

"How did you get away?" Harry asked in awe, taking in the small group before him.

"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," Ron explained. "Ginny was best, though. She got Malfoy—Bat-Bogey Hex—it was superb. His whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, Lucy saw you through the window heading into the forest, and we decided to follow you. What've you done with Umbridge?"

"She got carried away," Harry replied, "by a herd of centaurs."

"And they left you behind?" Ginny asked.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," Harry answered.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked.

"Hagrid's little brother," Lucy said, shaking her head a bit. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has Voldemort got Sirius, or—?"

"Yes," Harry said firmly, "and I'm sure Sirius is still alive. I just can't see how we're going to get there to help him."

There was a moment of silence.

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" Luna questioned as though it were obvious.

"Okay, first of all, _we_ aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that," Harry began. "Second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so—"

"I've got a broom!" Ginny interrupted.

"Yeah, but _you're_ not coming," Ron said.

"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" Ginny snapped.

Harry started, "You're too—"

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosopher's Stone," Ginny cut him off, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in the castle with giant flying bogeys attacking him—"

Harry tried again, "Yeah, but—"

"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville spoke up. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? This is the first chance we've had to do something real—or was that all just a game or something?"

"No," Harry insisted, looking frustrated, "of course it wasn't—"

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sick of your attitude, Harry," she said. "If they want to come, then let them come."

"We want to help," Neville said.

"That's right," Luna added brightly.

Harry and Ron exchanged a look, and Lucy scowled.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," Harry said, "because we still don't know how to get there—"

"I thought we'd settled that?" Luna said. "We're flying!"

"Look, you might be able to fly without a broomstick," Ron growled, "but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we—"

"There are ways of flying other than using broomsticks," Luna pointed out.

"I s'ppose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron grumbled.

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," Luna said, "but _they_ can. And Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for." She nodded to something behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but when Lucy looked over, she couldn't see anything.

"What's _they,_ Luna?" she asked.

"Yes!" Harry breathed, looking at where Luna had gestured. He walked over and stuck his hand out, petting thin air.

"Is it those mad horse things?" Ron asked. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"How many?" Hermione asked.

"Just two," Harry replied.

"Well, we need four," Hermione said.

"Five, Hermione," Ginny countered.

"I think there are seven of us, actually," Luna said.

"Don't be stupid; we can't all go!" Harry insisted. "Look: you three," he pointed between Ginny, Neville, and Luna, "you're not involved in this. You're not—"

Ginny, Neville, and Luna broke out into more protests.

"Enough!" Lucy shouted, fed up with the arguing. "Harry, there's no point in telling them they can't come with us. They want to help; maybe we don't have to do this all on our own this time."

Harry looked at her for a moment before sighing and rubbing a hand over his scar. "Okay, fine. It's their choice," he agreed, "but unless we can find more thestrals, you're not going to be able—"

"Oh, more of them will come," Luna said.

"What makes you think that?" Harry asked.

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," Luna replied. "We know Hagrid lures the thestrals with raw meat. That's probably why these two turned up in the first place—"

"Okay, then," Harry said. "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead. Hermione can stay here with you four, and she'll attract more thestrals—"

"I'm not staying behind!" Hermione said indignantly.

"We'll _all_ wait for some more thestrals to show up," Lucy added firmly.

"Look, here come more now..." Luna said. "You two must really smell.…"

Harry let out another sigh, looking at what must have been a group of thestrals approaching. "All right," he said. "Pick one and get on, then."

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: I found the fighting to be a bit difficult to write. It's definitely not my strong suit.**_


	30. 30: What He's Been Dreaming Of

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 30 – What He's Been Dreaming Of**

Harry, Neville, and Luna each mounted a thestral with ease. They looked around at Lucy, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, who were still standing on the ground, gaping at the other three.

"What?" Harry asked them.

"How're we supposed to get on?" Ron asked. "We can't see the things, remember?"

"Oh, it's easy," Luna said. She jumped off her invisible mount and hurried over to the four who couldn't see the thestrals. "Come here.…"

Luna guided each one of them to a thestral and helped all of them up. Lucy gripped at the mane of the creature she couldn't see, a bit of panic building up in her chest.

"This is mad," Ron said shakily. "_Mad_—if I could just _see_ it—"

"You'd better _hope_ it stays invisible," Harry said sharply. "We all ready, then?"

Lucy nodded along with the others. She tightened her knees around the thestral and made sure she had a firm hold of its mane. Then she leaned forward and whispered toward what she hoped was the creature's ear, "Please be careful, Mr. Thestral. I can't see you, so don't do anything too crazy.…"

"Okay…" Harry said. Then he looked down at what Lucy assumed was his thestral and said, "Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, then. Er—if you know—where to go.…"

Nothing happened for a moment. Then Lucy felt the thestral move underneath her, and soon she was rising into the air. She squeaked and held onto the mane so hard that her knuckles turned white.

The thestrals rose above the trees of the forest and shot away from the castle. They were going fast—much faster than Lucy had ever flown on a broomstick. The wind rushing past her face made it difficult for her to keep her eyes open. She bent low, trying to shield her face behind the thestral's neck.

They continued onward, over Hogsmeade and other various villages. The sun was setting quickly, making it harder to see where they were going.

"This is bizarre!" Ron shouted.

Lucy glanced down and immediately regretted her decision. Since her steed was invisible, all she could see when she looked down was what they were flying over.

As the sun set, the wind grew colder, and Lucy's face became numb. Her knees ached from gripping the invisible thestral, although she didn't dare loosen her hold. She couldn't tell how far they had flown, but she hoped that they would reach London soon.

Then, suddenly, Lucy's weight slid forward as the thestral shifted positions. A short scream fell from her throat as she found herself pointing towards the ground. There were lights growing nearer as they descended. Looking around, Lucy could see buildings and cars on the streets below. The ground was rushing toward her rather quickly, and she was sure that she was going to crash.

However, the thestral landed softly on the pavement, and Lucy shakily slid from its back. She looked around, seeing that Harry, Neville, and Luna had already dismounted, as well. Hermione and Ginny also slipped off their thestrals, looking windswept and happy to be back on the ground.

"Never again," Ron said, picking himself off the ground. He had fallen off his mount. He took a few steps forward, ran into something that must have been his thestral, and staggered off in a different direction. "Never, _ever_ again—that was the fucking _worst_—"

Everyone looked around at Harry.

"Where do we go from here, then?" Luna asked. She was the only one who looked cheerful.

"Over here," Harry said, stepping over to a phone booth on the sidewalk nearby. Lucy and the others watched warily as he opened the door and looked expectantly at them. "Come _on_!" he insisted.

Ron and Ginny went in first, and Lucy followed. Hermione, Neville, and Luna pushed their way in next, and Harry squeezed in last.

"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six-two-four-four-two!" he commanded.

Ron reached over awkwardly and dialed the numbers.

After he'd inputted the last _two_, a voice spoke. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a woman's voice stated. "Please state your name and business."

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lucy Jones," Harry said, "Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood.… We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," the female voice said. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."

There was a clunking noise, and a handful of badges appeared in a chute below the phone. Lucy scooped them out and handed them over to Harry, who took them.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium," the female voice said.

"Fine!" Harry said. "Now can we _move_?"

The entire telephone booth quivered, and Lucy's heart leapt in alarm. Then the box slowly sank into the ground. There was a low grinding noise as it descended, and there was darkness all around them.

After a few minutes of pitch black, a light from below the booth appeared. Then the box touched down on a floor, and the female voice sounded overhead, "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening."

The door popped open, and Harry, Neville, and Luna fell out of the box. The rest of them piled out as Harry, Neville, and Luna picked themselves up off the floor. Lucy pulled her wand out of her pocket, gripping it tightly. Her companions did the same.

Lucy looked around and saw that she was in the room full of fireplaces that people used to enter and exit the Ministry. Lucy hadn't been to the Ministry since she was eleven, so she only had a vague memory of the place.

"C'mon," Harry whispered. He led them out of the room and into the Atrium.

They walked across the Atrium towards the chamber beyond, which Lucy remembered as the room where the elevators were. Lucy paused as they reached the giant fountain in the middle of the Atrium. There were five statues—a witch, a wizard, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf—that were spouting water into the base of the fountain.

"Lucy, come _on_," Harry whispered sharply.

"_Sorry_," Lucy hissed back. "I was just looking. It's been a long time since I've been to the Ministry."

They continued on and passed through a set of golden gates. This was the chamber with the elevators. Harry punched the nearest button, and an elevator appeared immediately. The seven of them hurried inside. Harry hit the button labeled _9_, and the elevator gates closed.

They descended for a few moments before coming to a halt, and the same female voice from the telephone box said, "Department of Mysteries."

"Let's go," Harry murmured. He took the lead once again, walking down the hall towards a plain black door. They had almost reached it when Harry paused. "Okay, listen," he began. "Maybe—maybe a couple of people should stay here as a—as a lookout, and—"

"How're we going to let you know something's coming?" Ginny interrupted. "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you," Neville added.

"Now that _that's_ settled for about the sixth time," Lucy huffed, "let's get moving."

Harry hesitated before moving towards the door. Surprising them all, the door opened on its own. Harry walked through it, followed by the others.

On the other side of the door, the students found themselves in a circular room. Everything inside was completely black, including the walls and the ceiling. There were many doors all around the room, spaced out with a torch in between each one.

"Someone shut the door," Harry said.

Neville did as Harry had asked, shutting out the light from the corridor outside. Harry looked around at the doors, as though trying to determine which one to go through, when there was a loud grinding noise. The circular wall had begun to move.

A few moments later, the wall halted.

"What was that about?" Ron asked nervously.

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," Ginny guessed. She was right; Lucy couldn't tell which door was the one they had just come through.

"How're we going to get back out?" Neville questioned.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Harry said. "We won't need to get out 'til we've found Sirius—"

"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione insisted, and Harry nodded.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Lucy asked.

"I don't—" Harry stopped for a second before explaining, "In the dreams, I went through a door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room—that's this one—and then I went through another door into a room that kind of… glitters. We should try a few doors. I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."

Harry went to the door across from him and pushed it open. He marched in, leading the rest inside the room.

It was a large, rectangular room that was much better lit than the one they had just been in. Along the walls were a few empty desks. In the middle of the room, there was a large tank that was full of water, with some white objects floating inside.

"What're those things?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," Harry answered.

"Are they fish?" Ginny questioned.

"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna exclaimed. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding—"

"No," Hermione said, but she didn't sound exasperated as she usually did when she corrected Luna. She took a few steps towards the tank and peered into it. "They're brains."

"_Brains_?" Neville repeated.

"Yes… I wonder what they're doing with them," Hermione murmured.

Lucy and Harry moved closer to the tank, as well, but the other four stayed back by the door.

After a quiet minute, Harry said, "Let's get out of here. This isn't right. We need to try another door—"

"There are doors here, too," Ron pointed out, gesturing to the walls.

"In my dream, I went through that dark room into the second one," Harry said. "I think we should go back and try from there."

So, they trooped back out into the circular room with all the doors. Luna made to shut the door, but Hermione stopped her.

"Wait!" she said. She lifted her wand a waved it towards the door. "_Flagrate_!"

A jet of fire came out of her wand, making an _X_ on the door. Then Luna shut it, and as soon as it was closed, the walls of the room rotated once more. When the walls stopped, the _X_ was still on the door they had already been through.

"Good thinking," Harry said to Hermione. "Okay, let's try this one—" He picked another door and pushed it open.

This room was also rectangular, but it was much larger than the brain room. The center was sunken into the floor, forming a stone pit. There were benches descending like steps all the way to the center of the room. A stone dais stood raised on a platform in the middle of the room, and on the dais was a stone archway with a veil hanging in it. The veil was fluttering slightly, as though there was a breeze, although the air in the room was still.

"Who's there?" Harry called suddenly, stepping onto the bench below the rest of them.

There was no answer.

"Careful!" Hermione whispered.

Harry continued down to the archway, hopping down the benches until he reached the stone floor. Lucy quickly followed him, along with the others.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, looking up at the veil. He edged up to the dais and looked around the archway.

"I don't think there's anyone in here besides us, Harry," Lucy said.

"Let's go," Hermione said. She was still halfway up the steps, and she sounded scared. "This isn't right, Harry. Come on, let's go.…"

Harry continued to stare at the veil, and Hermione added, "Harry, let's go, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed, but he didn't move. He frowned, concentrating hard on something. "What are you saying?" he asked towards the veil.

Lucy exchanged confused looks with Neville, who was standing nearby.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" Hermione insisted shrilly.

"Someone's whispering behind there," Harry said. "Is that you, Ron?"

"I'm here, mate," Ron said, walking over to stand next to Lucy and Neville.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry asked. He put one foot on the dais, and Lucy grabbed his arm to stop him from getting too close to the veil.

"I can hear them, too," Luna said, joining them, as well. "There are people _in there_!"

"What do you mean, _in there_?" Hermione asked, finally reaching the stone floor. "There isn't any _in there._ It's just an archway—there's no room for anybody to be there—Harry, stop it. Come away—" She tried to pull Harry away, but he wouldn't let her, so she added, "Harry, we're supposed to be here for Sirius!"

That seemed to snap Harry out of his haze, and he muttered, "Sirius. Yeah…" He jerked backwards from the veil and looked away. "Let's go," he said.

"That's what I've been trying to—well, come on, then!" Hermione urged.

They all scrambled back up the stone steps to the door through which they'd entered the room.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she replied, sounding very sure of herself. She raised her wand and conjured another red _X_ for the door.

When the door was shut, the walls in the circular room spun once again. When it stopped, Harry went to a new door and attempted to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" Ron said. He hurried over to try and help Harry get the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Get out of the way!" Hermione sighed. She pointed her wand at the door and said, "_Alohomora_!"

Nothing happened.

"Sirius's knife!" Harry exclaimed. He pulled the knife from a pocket in his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. He ran it between the top and bottom of the door, pulled it out, and then pushed against the door again. However, it didn't move, and Harry held up Sirius's knife to see that it had melted.

"Right, we're leaving that room," Hermione concluded.

"What if that's the one?" Ron said.

"It can't be," Hermione explained. "Harry could get through all the doors in his dream."

Harry put the handle of the knife back into his pocket.

"You know what could be in there?" Luna asked as Hermione drew another _X_ on the door that wouldn't open.

Hermione muttered something under her breath, causing Neville to giggle. Nobody else bothered to answer Luna.

The circular wall shuddered and rotated once more. Then Harry picked another door, pushed it open, and gasped. "_This is it_!" he whispered hoarsely.

The room was full of clocks. There were all kinds of them, hanging from the ceiling and sitting on shelves and desks. At the end of the room, a glittering light was coming from a large crystal jar.

"This way!" Harry said. He led the way through the room, looking excited.

They neared the crystal jar at the end of the room, noticing that there was something inside of it.

"Oh, _look_!" Ginny gasped, pointing at it.

Inside was a tiny egg floating in a sparkling wind. The wind pushed the egg up towards the top of the jar. As it rose, the egg cracked, and a hummingbird crawled out of it. Then, the bird began to drop slowly towards the bottom of the jar, and it retreated back into the egg.

"Keep going!" Harry said.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" Ginny insisted, but she followed the rest of them.

There was a single door behind the jar.

"This is it," Harry whispered. "It's through here—" He glanced over his shoulder at his friends. Then he turned back to the door and pushed it open.

It was a large room with a very high ceiling. There were rows and rows of shelves that were tall enough to almost touch the ceiling, and on the shelves were many small, glistening glass orbs.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah," Harry answered. He looked up at the shelves nearest them to read which row number it was.

"We need to go right, I think," Hermione murmured. "Yes—that's fifty-four—"

"Keep your wands out," Harry added.

They made their way down the rows, passing the many shelves with the orbs. Some of the orbs were letting off strong light; others were dull, as though the light that had once been in them was now burnt out.

"Ninety-seven!" Hermione eventually breathed.

They stopped, looking down the row between the shelves. There was nobody to be seen.

"He's right down at the end," Harry said. "You can't see properly from here.…"

They tiptoed down the row.

"He should be near here," Harry reported. "Anywhere here—really close—"

Lucy felt a sinking feeling in her chest; _where was Sirius?_

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry didn't look at her. "Somewhere about—here…" he muttered.

They reached the end of the row. Sirius was nowhere to be found. There was only silence.

"He might be—" Harry moved over to the next row. "Or maybe—" He looked down the one after that.

"Harry?" Lucy called.

"What?" Harry growled.

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a sharp look. "I don't think Sirius is here," she stated.

Harry didn't turn around to look at any of them. Lucy and Hermione glanced at one another, sharing the same concern. Then Harry jogged down past the rows, looking around for any sign of Sirius. He turned and jogged back the other way, past his friends, still frantically searching.

"Harry?" Ron spoke up.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Have you seen this?" Ron said.

"What?" Harry repeated. He hurried back to where Ron was standing in the middle of row ninety-seven, staring at one of the orbs on the shelf. "What?" Harry echoed once more.

"It's—it's got your name on it," Ron said, sounding confused. He pointed at the orb he had been staring at.

Harry moved forward for a closer look. "_My_ name?" he questioned. He squinted at the label on the orb and read aloud, "_S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and Harry Potter._"

"What is it?" Lucy asked as Ron and Harry continued to stare at the shelf. "What's your name doing on one of these things?"

Harry looked at the other orbs nearby. "I'm not anywhere else here," he said. "None of the rest of us are here.…" Then he reached out to pick up the orb.

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione said.

"Why not?" Harry asked. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," Neville insisted.

"It's got my name on it," Harry stated. He plucked the orb from its resting place on the shelf. He stared at it for a few moments, but nothing seemed to happen.

The rest of them moved closer to see the orb.

"Harry?" Lucy asked slowly.

Harry wiped the orb on his robes, clearing the dust off.

"Very good, Potter," a voice said from behind them. "Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: It might be a little unrealistic that all seven of them can fit in a phone booth, but also... magic. Ha.**_


	31. 31: Fight at the Ministry

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 31 – Fight at the Ministry**

Figures cloaked in all black were appearing all around them. There were at least a dozen of them. They were all wearing hoods and masks; Death Eaters. Lucy and the others were trapped, the Death Eaters pointing their wands directly at the small group.

"To me, Potter," the voice repeated. Lucy recognized it; it was Lucius Malfoy. The man stepped forward, his face also masked and his hand outstretched towards Harry. "To me," he said once more.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked.

The Death Eaters laughed around them.

"The Dark Lord always knows!" a female voice cackled.

"Always," Malfoy agreed. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

_Prophecy_? Lucy thought.

"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry insisted.

"_I want to know where Sirius is_!" the woman mimicked.

The Death Eaters were slowly closing in on them.

"You've got him," Harry said. "He's here. I know he is."

"_The wittle baby woke up fwightened and fought what it dweamed was twoo_," the woman said in a fake-baby voice.

Ron shifted, and Harry said, "Don't do anything. Not yet—"

"You hear him? _You hear him_?" the woman laughed. "Giving instructions to the other children, as though he thinks of fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Malfoy said. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. _Now, give me the prophecy, Potter_."

Lucy's heartbeat increased, realizing that Malfoy had called the second woman Bellatrix; she had to be Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had tortured Neville's parents and ultimately put them into St. Mungo's. Lucy immediately found Neville's hand and gripped it tightly, trying to comfort him. She felt him squeeze her hand back.

"I know Sirius is here," Harry said. "_I know you've got him_!"

The Death Eaters laughed again, but none more than Bellatrix Lestrange.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," Malfoy said. "Now, give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry said, raising his own wand.

Lucy raised hers, as well, and so did her other friends.

"Hand over the prophecy, and no one need get hurt," Malfoy offered.

Harry let out a laugh. "Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this—prophecy, is it? Then you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

Bellatrix shrieked, "_Accio Proph_—"

"_Protego_!" Harry shouted before she could finish her incantation. The orb remained in his hand.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," Bellatrix said. "Very well, then—"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Malfoy shouted at her. "If you smash it—!"

Bellatrix stepped forward, pulling her mask off and lowering her hood. "You need more persuasion, do you?" she asked. "Very well—take the smallest one. Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

"You won't touch her!" Lucy snarled instinctively, pushing Ginny behind Harry, who had stepped sideways to shield her.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," Harry threatened, holding up the prophecy. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?" Bellatrix stared angrily at him, and he continued, "So, what kind of prophecy are we talking about, anyway?"

"What kind of prophecy?" Bellatrix asked. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," Harry said. "How come Voldemort wants it?"

The Death Eaters all let out noises of anger.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered hotly. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shouted. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips! You dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue! You dare—!"

"Did you know he's a half-blood, too?" Harry taunted. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch, but his dad was a Muggle—or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"

Bellatrix started, "_STUPEF_—!"

"_NO_!" Malfoy yelled.

He deflected Bellatrix's Stunner, sending it into a shelf to the students' left. A few orbs fells from the shelves and shattered onto the floor. Ghostly figures floated up from the shards of broken glass and faded away, murmuring something that could not be heard over Bellatrix and Malfoy arguing.

"DO NOT ATTACK!" Malfoy spat. "WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared—he dares—!" Bellatrix screamed. "He stands there—filthy half-blood—!"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" Malfoy snapped.

There was a moment of silence while Bellatrix attempted to get a hold of herself.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," Harry spoke up again.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," Malfoy warned.

"I'm not playing games," Harry said.

"Did Dumbledore really never tell you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy asked.

"I—what?" Harry said. "What about my scar?"

"Can this be?" Malfoy said, sounding delighted, and some of the Death Eaters chuckled darkly. "Dumbledore never told you. Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter. The Dark Lord wondered why you didn't come running when he showed you in your dreams the place where it was hidden. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording.…"

Lucy felt Hermione pull on the sleeve of her robes. "Get ready to smash the shelves when Harry says so," Hermione breathed into Lucy's ear, and Lucy nodded once, glad that someone had come up with an idea to get out of there.

"Did he?" Harry asked. "So, he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

"_Why_?" Malfoy repeated. "The only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"Why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?" Harry asked.

"About _both_ of you, Potter. About both of you," Malfoy said impatiently. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" Harry wondered aloud. "And he's made _me_ come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix echoed incredulously. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"

"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" Harry guessed. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it—and Bode?"

"Very good, Potter, very good…" Malfoy said, "but the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell—"

"NOW!" Harry shouted suddenly.

"_REDUCTO_!" Lucy shouted, pointing her wand to one of the shelves, along with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville.

The shelves exploded, sending orbs and splintered bits of wood crashing to the ground.

"RUN!" Harry instructed.

"Neville, come on!" Lucy shouted, grabbing Neville's robes and pulling him along with her.

They ran down the row, sending a few Stunners towards the remaining Death Eaters that they could see. Skidding to a stop, they found themselves at the opposite end of the row.

"This way!" Hermione called from ahead of them.

Lucy and Neville sprinted after Hermione, who was following Harry. They found the door to the room with the clocks in it. Harry, Hermione, Lucy, and Neville ran full speed into the room, and Harry slammed the door behind them.

"_Colloportus_!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing her wand at the door.

"Where—where are the others?" Lucy panted, looking around for Ron, Ginny, and Luna.

"I thought they were ahead of us," Harry said, glancing all over the room.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione moaned.

"Listen!" Neville hissed.

They could hear footsteps and shouting from the other side of the door. Lucy and Harry pressed their ears up against it.

"Leave Nott," Malfoy was commanded. "_Leave him, I say._ The Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy—Jugson, come back here! We need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search. Don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy. You can kill the others if necessary—Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead—Macnair and Avery, through here—Rookwood, over there—Mulciber, come with me!"

"What do we do?" Hermione asked hoarsely.

"Well, we don't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," Harry said. "Let's get away from this door.…"

They ran down the room towards the door that would lead them back to the dark, circular room. However, before they could reach it, they heard a smashing sound against the door through which they had just entered the room.

"Stand aside!" a loud voice shouted. "_Alohomora_!"

Lucy felt someone tackling her and pulling her under a desk. Neville whispered, "Sorry, sorry…" but Lucy didn't mind. A moment later, the door burst open. Lucy and Neville tried to calm their breathing, hoping that the Death Eaters wouldn't hear them.

"They might've run straight through to the hall," one voice said.

"Check under the desks," the other one commanded.

"_STUPEFY_!" Lucy heard Harry shout. She and Neville poked their heads over the top of the desk they were hiding under, and saw Hermione scrambling out from under her own.

One Death Eater was still standing in front of them, and he began to shout, "_Avada_—"

Harry flew at him, tackling him to the ground. Neville shot up, pointing his wand towards Harry and the Death Eater, and yelled, "_EXPELLIARMUS_!" Lucy and Hermione ran forward.

Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands. They lunged after their wands.

Neville hurried forward, as well. "Get out of the way, Harry!" he said. Harry veered to one side, giving Neville a clear shot, and he bellowed, "_STUPEFY_!"

The red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and smashed into a glass cabinet against the wall. The cabinet shattered, sending hourglasses of all shapes falling to the ground. Then, suddenly, the cabinet fixed itself before shattering once again.

The Death Eater had reached his wand, which had fallen to the floor next to the crystal jar with the bird in it. He tore his mask off and leveled his wand at Harry's chest. "_STUP—"_

"_STUPEFY!_" Hermione cried, hitting the Death Eater before he could finish his spell.

He fell backwards into the jar and, instead of smashing the crystal to pieces, his head went right through.

"_Accio wand_!" Lucy said. Harry's wand soared through the air to Lucy, and she tossed it over to its owner.

"Thanks," Harry said. "Right, let's get out of—"

"Look out!" Neville squeaked, pointing at the Death Eater with the jar on his head.

Lucy pointed her wand at the Death Eater but stopped short when she saw what was happening to his head. Inside the jar, the man's head was rapidly turning into a baby's head. Then, as Lucy, Harry, Hermione, and Neville stared, his head grew back into his usual one.

"It's time," Hermione gasped. "_Time._…"

Meanwhile, the Death Eater's head began to shrink back into a baby head again.

Suddenly, they heard a shout from nearby. There was a loud crash, and then there was a scream.

"RON?" Harry shouted. "GINNY? LUNA?"

"Harry!" Hermione cried.

Lucy turned sharply to see that the Death Eater had gotten the jar off, but instead of his own head, he still had the baby head. He was wailing loudly, flailing his normal-sized arms like a baby would.

Harry raised his wand, but Hermione grabbed his arm. "You can't hurt a baby!" she scolded.

There were footsteps coming from the prophecy room. Harry groaned, realizing that his shouting had given away their position. "Come on!" he said to the others.

They ran back towards the door that would lead them to the circular room, but again, before they could make it, two Death Eaters had entered from the prophecy room.

"This way!" Harry shouted.

They ran into what seemed like an office and threw the door shut behind them.

Hermione began, "_Collo_—" The door burst open before she had time to complete the spell.

"_IMPEDIMENTA_!" both Death Eaters shouted.

Lucy felt herself lift off her feet. Her back smashed into the stone wall behind the desk, and she fell to the floor. She saw a burst of stars and quickly shook her head.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!" one of the Death Eaters yelled. "IN AN OFFICE OFF—"

Lucy jumped up and shouted, "_Silencio_!"

The Death Eater was silenced, and he put his hand to his throat. The other Death Eater pushed him out of the way.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Harry cried.

The second Death Eater fell over, his arms and legs glued to his sides.

Hermione, who had just struggled to her feet from under a pile of books, glanced at Harry. "Well done," she said.

Before she could say anything else, however, the first Death Eater slashed his wand through the air at her. Purple flames streaked across Hermione's chest. She let out a small gasp and fell to the floor, where she laid unmoving.

"HERMIONE!" Lucy and Harry yelled, anguished.

Harry fell to Hermione's side as Neville dashed out from behind the desk. The Death Eater kicked out at Neville, snapping his wand in two and hitting the boy square in the face. Neville rolled to the side, holding his nose in one hand.

"_NO_!" Lucy shrieked. She ran at the man, waving her wand as a series of spells fell from her mouth. The Death Eater managed to block a Disarming Charm and a Stunner, but her Impediment Jinx got through.

Then Harry whipped his wand at the Death Eater and bellowed, "_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS_!"

Lucy stood over the Death Eater, breathing hard and glaring down at him for a few moments before hurrying over to Neville. "You all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Neville replied. There was blood gushing from his face.

"Stay still," Lucy said. "I've never actually performed this spell on anyone, so I'm sorry if it doesn't help.…"

She waved her wand and muttered a blood-clotting spell. Neville's nose stopped bleeding rapidly, but it didn't cease completely. Then they turned to Harry, who was shaking Hermione by the shoulders.

"Hermione," he muttered. "Hermione, wake up.…"

"Whaddid he do do her?" Neville asked, having a hard time speaking through his broken nose.

"I dunno…" Harry said, looking very upset.

Neville dropped down next to him and picked up Hermione's wrist. "Dat's a pulse, Harry," he assured them. "I'b sure id is.…"

"She's alive?" Harry asked, relief washing over his face.

"Yeah, I dink so…" Neville answered.

There was a moment of silence.

"Listen, we're not far from the exit," Harry said quietly. "We're right next to that circular room.… If we can just get across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you two can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift.… Then you could find someone—raise the alarm—"

"What are _you_ going to do?" Lucy demanded.

"I've got to find the others," Harry replied.

"I can help you do that," Lucy scowled.

"Yeah, I'b going do find dem wid you," Neville added.

Harry started, "But Hermione—"

"We'll take her wid us," Neville said. "I'll carry her—you dwo'r bedder at fighding dan I am—" He stood up and began to pull Hermione onto his back, and Lucy and Harry hurried to help him.

"Wait," Harry said. He picked up Hermione's wand and handed it to Neville. "You'd better take this.…"

"My gran's going do kill be," Neville said, holding Hermione's wand tight in his hand. "Dat was by dad's old wand.…"

Harry looked out of the office to see if there was anyone around. The only person still in the room was the Death Eater with the baby head.

"He's never going to notice us," Harry reasoned. "C'mon—keep close behind me.…"

Harry left the office first, followed by Neville. Lucy took up the rear, looking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure they wouldn't be ambushed from behind.

Harry pulled the door to the circular room open, and Lucy and Neville followed him inside. They shut the door, and the walls started to revolve again. Lucy closed her eyes, not wanting to get dizzy. When she opened them again, the wall had come to a stop. She noticed that Hermione's marks had disappeared.

Harry began, "Which way d'you reck—?"

He stopped suddenly as one of the doors opened. Lucy and Harry held their wands up instinctively as three people fell into the circular room.

"Ron! Ginny!" Lucy shouted. "Are you all—?" She stopped when she saw that Ron was giggling and acting quite unlike himself.

"Harry," Ron said, grabbing onto Harry's robes. His eyes were unfocused, and something dark was trailing from the corner of his mouth. "There you are.… Ha, ha, ha.… You look funny, Harry.… You're all messed up.…" He collapsed onto the floor, pulling Harry into an awkward bow.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, turning to the other Weasley. "What happened?"

Ginny shook her head, sitting down and holding her ankle in both hands.

"I think her ankle's broken," Luna explained. "I heard something crack." She looked unhurt but definitely unsettled. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets. It was a very odd place—some of the time we were just floating in the dark—"

"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron giggled. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus—ha, ha, ha—"

Lucy looked fearfully at him.

"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot. I used the Reducto Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…" Luna looked sadly at Ginny, whose face was screwed up in pain.

"What about Ron?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know what they hit him with," Luna reported, "but he's gone a bit funny. I could hardly get him along at all—"

"We've got to get out of here," Harry said. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"

"Yes," Luna replied. She pulled Ginny to her feet.

Ginny pushed her away. "It's only my ankle! I can do it myself!" she insisted. Then she swayed dangerously and grabbed Luna again for support.

"Lucy, help me with Ron," Harry said.

Lucy nodded, and she and Harry stood on either side of Ron, lifting his arms over their shoulders. Then Harry looked around at the doors for a moment before choosing one. He was just about to open it when a different door burst open.

"_There they are_!" Bellatrix Lestrange screamed. She was leading two other Death Eaters into the circular room.

Lucy immediately dropped Ron's arm, held her wand out, and shouted, "_Protego_!" She heard Harry push the door open, and she could hear her friends scrambling into the next room. Then there was a tug on her robes from behind, and Harry had pulled her backwards through the door. He slammed it shut, pointed his wand at it, and yelled, "_Colloportus_!" Then he added in a low voice to Lucy, "Nice thinking with the Shield Charm."

"It doesn't matter!" a male voice from the other side of the door said. "There are other ways in—WE'VE GOT THEM! THEY'RE IN HERE!"

"Luna—Neville—Lucy—help me!" Harry shouted.

The four of them ran around the room, sealing the doors.

"_Collo—aaaaargh_—!" Luna screamed. She had just been about to bewitch a door when it had crashed open. She flew through the air, slammed into a desk, and fell onto the floor.

"Get Potter!" Bellatrix screeched, running towards Harry.

Harry dodged around her and flew back the other direction. Lucy grabbed Neville and pulled him down behind a desk near where Ginny was sitting on the floor. She wasn't paying attention to anything other than sending Stunners towards the Death Eaters, but then she heard Ron say something.

"_Accio Brain_!"

Lucy looked at the brain tank, watching as a brain floated into the air. Then it flew over to Ron, who reached out to it.

"Ha, ha, ha—Harry—look at it," Ron said. "Harry, come and touch it—bet it's weird—"

"RON, NO!" Harry shouted.

It was too late. Ron had already caught the brain. The tentacles immediately began to wind their way around Ron's arms. Harry rushed over to him.

"Harry, look what's happen—no—no, I don't like it—no, stop—_stop_—" The tentacles were wrapping around his chest and slowing moving up towards his neck and face.

"_Diffindo_!" Harry shouted. It did nothing, and Ron fell over, fighting against the brain.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny cried. Before she could do or say anything else, however, a jet of red light caught her in the face. She fell over, unconscious.

"_STUPEFY!_" Lucy yelled over and over again, while Neville next to her was yelling, "_STUBEFY_!"

"Lucy!" Harry shouted, holding the prophecy aloft in his hand.

Lucy looked at him and saw the desperate look on his face. She knew that they had to get the prophecy away from the Death Eaters, so she nodded once at her brother. Then two of them streaked away from the others. The Death Eaters ran after them, and they continued to send Stunners and Shield Charms behind them.

"Here!" Harry cried breathlessly. He had reached a door and wrenched it open.

He and Lucy sprinted into the room and then fell, toppling down stone steps. Lucy was able to briefly acknowledge that they had made it back to the room with the veiled archway before she had come to a hard stop on the stone floor below.

There were Death Eaters everywhere, and they were all laughing.

"You all right?" Harry murmured to Lucy.

"I'm still in one piece somehow," Lucy groaned.

They slowly got to their feet, moving backwards as the Death Eaters closed in around them. They reached the stone platform and hopped up onto it. The Death Eaters stopped.

One of them stepped forward and pulled off his mask: Lucius Malfoy. "Potter, your race is run," he said. "Now, hand me the prophecy, like a good boy—"

"Let—let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" Harry said.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "You see, there are ten of us and only two of you—or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"Dey're dot alone!" a voice shouted from above. "Dey've still god be!"

Lucy saw Neville jumping down the stone steps, Hermione's wand held tightly in his hand.

Harry desperately tried to tell him, "Neville—no—go back to Ron—!"

"_STUBEFY!_" Neville shouted, ignoring Harry. "_STUBEFY! STUBE—!_"

One of the large Death Eaters grabbed Neville, holding his arms against his torso. Neville kicked at the Death Eater, but it was no use.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" Malfoy asked. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause.… Your death will not come as a great shock—"

"You leave him alone!" Lucy shouted.

"Longbottom?" Bellatrix asked curiously. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy—"

"I DOE YOU HAB!" Neville shouted. He struggled hard in the Death Eater's grip.

"Someone Stun him!" the Death Eater said impatiently.

"No, no, no," Bellatrix said. She moved closer to Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts, before he cracks like his parents.… Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy—"

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" Neville screamed. "DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!"

Bellatrix pointed her wand at him. "_Crucio_!" she shouted with a mixture of malice and glee.

"NO!" Lucy cried, watching as Neville screamed and thrashed in agony.

The Death Eater holding him dropped him at once. Lucy took a step towards Neville, but Harry grabbed her arm and held her still.

"That was just a taster!" Bellatrix whooped, lowering her wand so that the curse was lifted. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"

Harry immediately held the prophecy out. Malfoy stepped forward, and he was just about to take it when they heard doors opening.

Sirius, Remus, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley charged into the room, their wands at the ready. Tonks sent a Stunner straight into Malfoy's face, and Lucy and Harry dived off the platform for cover. The Death Eaters and the members of the Order turned to face each other.

"Neville!" Lucy cried, watching as Neville feebly tried to reach them. She and Harry crawled over to him, staying low to avoid the curses flying over their heads. "Are you okay?" Lucy asked when they reached the other boy.

"Yes," Neville answered.

"And Ron?" Harry asked.

"I dink he's all righd—he was sdill fighding the brain when I lefd," Neville replied.

"Look out!" Harry shouted.

Lucy and Neville rolled one way, and Harry rolled the other; where they had been crouched just seconds before, there was now a crater in the floor.

"All right?" Lucy asked Neville, who nodded.

Then, looking up, Lucy gasped. A Death Eater had grabbed Harry and was holding him up off the ground. Lucy and Neville barreled forward, knocking into the man so he loosened his grip on Harry. Neville poked the Death Eater hard in the eye with Hermione's wand, and the man let out a cry of pain.

Then Harry turned around and yelled, "_Stupefy_!" The man crumpled to the floor, and Harry said to his friends, "Thanks!"

He grabbed both Lucy and Neville and pulled them away from a group of duelers. Then he tripped on a loose stone on the floor and fell over into Neville, knocking them both over. Lucy dove away from them as a Death Eater lurched after them.

"_Tarantallegra_!" the Death Eater shouted, pointing his wand at Neville, and Neville's legs began to move uncontrollably.

The Death Eater advanced on Harry next, and Lucy jumped forward and yelled, "_Protego_!" just as the man slashed his wand at her brother. The Death Eater turned towards Lucy, his wand held out—but before he could say anything, Sirius had hurtled into him.

Lucy hurried over to Neville and waved her wand at him, saying, "_Finite_!" Neville's legs stopped jerking at once.

Harry rejoined them, asking, "Can you stand?"

Lucy and Neville both nodded. Before they could do anything else, however, another Death Eater—Malfoy—came flying towards them.

"Neville—catch it!" Harry shouted. He threw the prophecy at Neville, pointed his wand at Malfoy, and shouted, "_Impedimenta_!"

"Harry, Lucy—round up the others and GO!" Remus yelled as he ran past them.

Lucy, Harry, and Neville began to scramble up the stairs, but there were blasts all around them, making it difficult to climb up. One of the steps above them exploded, knocking them all off their feet.

The prophecy, which had been in Neville's pocket, fell out. Lucy, Harry, and Neville watched as the prophecy—which seemed to be moving in slow motion—smashed onto a step below them.

"Harry, I'b sorry!" Neville said, his eyes wide. "I'b so sorry, Harry. I didn'd bean do—"

"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted.

"Come on, we have to get back to the others!" Lucy added.

"_Dubbledore_!" Neville gasped suddenly.

"What?" Harry asked.

"DUBBLEDORE!" Neville repeated, and Lucy and Harry hurried to look where Neville was pointing.

Sure enough, Albus Dumbledore had entered the room, his face looking dangerously angry. The Death Eaters didn't seem to notice that Dumbledore had arrived until he had descended to the bottom of the steps. He waved his wand, rounding up some of the Death Eaters nearest him. Many of the others began to shout, and some of the Death Eaters attempted to get away.

There were only two people left dueling; Sirius and Bellatrix were still going at it. Sirius dodged a jet of light from Bellatrix's wand, laughing.

"Come on; you can do better than that!" he said gleefully.

Then another jet hit him squarely in the chest. His eyes widened. Lucy watched as he fell backwards, toppling right into the veil hanging in the archway. Bellatrix screamed in delight.

Lucy felt numb. She saw Harry running down the steps out of the corner of her eye and watched as Remus caught him as he yelled for his godfather. Remus was trying to tell him that it was no use, and that Sirius was gone.…

Lucy couldn't pull her eyes away from the veil, and there was a faint ringing in her ears. It took her a moment to realize that the anguished screaming she was hearing was coming from herself. She finally clamped her mouth shut, her breath coming out very shallowly.

"Lucy?" Neville asked. "Are you okay?"

Dumbledore had most of the Death Eaters wrangled together, as though tied up with invisible rope. Remus hauled Harry over to the stone steps, and Lucy and Neville hurried down to meet them.

"Harry—I'b really sorry…" Neville said when they reached him. "Was dat man—was Sirius Black a—a friend of yours?"

Harry nodded.

"Let's—let's find the others," Remus suggested. "Where are they all, Neville?"

Lucy could see it was taking a lot for Remus to hold himself together. She wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how she could when she felt as though the world was crashing around her.

"Dey're all back dere," Neville answered. "A brain addacked Ron, bud I dink he's all righd—and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse—"

There was a yell from the other side of the dais. Kingsley, who had taken up the duel with Bellatrix, fell backwards onto the ground. Bellatrix turned and ran. Dumbledore threw a spell at her, but she deflected it.

She was halfway up the steps when Harry suddenly tore after her.

"Harry—no!" Remus yelled.

"Harry!" Lucy screamed, ready to run after him, but two hands were securely on her arms before she could move.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry shouted. "SHE KILLED HIM—I'LL KILL HER!"

"Harry, no, please—!" Lucy cried after him, but it was no use. Tears were already in her eyes, and they finally spilled over, running down her cheeks. "Remus…" she croaked, turning to the man.

Remus gathered her into his chest, holding her tightly in a familial embrace. She let out a sob, shaking in her uncle's arms.

"Remus, Kingsley—you know what to do!" Dumbledore thundered.

Lucy pulled away from Remus to see Dumbledore charging back up the stairs.

"Remus! Kingsley!" Moody barked. He was knelt over Tonks's unmoving body.

Remus let go of Lucy and hurried over to Moody.

"So was Sirius Black on our side?" Neville asked, sounding confused. "I dought—bud he broke oud of Azkaban—"

"He was framed," Lucy said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "He was innocent. Now he's—now he's—" She covered her face with both of her hands for a moment, trying to calm herself down.

"Right," Remus said, rejoining Lucy and Neville. "The others: we need to see to them and make sure they're all right. Can you show me where they are?" He looked between Lucy and Neville, who both nodded.

They trudged slowly up the steps and into the door they had come through—the door that led them to the brain room.

"Neville! Lucy!" Ginny exclaimed, having regained consciousness. "What happened?" She and Luna were sitting on the floor next to each other.

"The Order and Dumbledore showed up," Lucy said, surprised that she could even speak at all.

"Kingsley and Moody are seeing to the Death Eaters in that room," Remus explained briskly.

"I saw Harry come running through here," Ginny said worriedly. "He was chasing after Bellatrix Lestrange—"

"Dumbledore has gone after them," Remus assured her. "Everything will be all right. How are all of you?"

"I'm fine," Ginny replied. "It's just my ankle. I think it's broken."

"I'm okay, too," Luna added, although she looked severely shaken up.

"Nevertheless, we're going to get you all looked at," Remus said. "We'll take you all to the hospital wing when you get back to Hogwarts, of course. Ginny, I can bind your ankle, so it won't hurt so much.…" He waved his wand, wrapping Ginny's ankle with a splint. "Now, what's happened to Ron and Hermione?"

"I don't know what Ron got hit with, but it made him go all funny," Luna reported. "He kept giggling and couldn't focus on anything anyone was saying."

"I don't know what they got Hermione with, either," Lucy said, looking sadly at her friend, who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "The man who did it made a slashing motion, and there was a kind of purple flame that went across her chest."

"Well, we'll get you all to the hospital wing," Remus assured them. "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be able to sort everyone out. In the meantime, let's get everyone out of here and up to the Atrium. Neville, do you think you can carry Hermione?"

"Yes," Neville replied.

"Okay, then Lucy, you can help me with Ron," Remus said.

They hoisted Hermione onto Neville's back, and Lucy and Remus each took one of Ron's arms and put them over their shoulders. Luna helped Ginny stand up.

"This way," Remus said, leading the way forward.

They crossed the room to the door that led them to the circular room. When they shut the door, the wall revolved, as always. It came to a shuttering stop.

"How will we know which door to choose?" Ginny asked.

Remus held out his wand and muttered something. Then one of the doors sprung open, revealing the corridor to the elevators. He led them all down the hall and into an elevator, and they rode in silence up to the Atrium.

"Ah, Remus, good," Dumbledore said as they walked across the Atrium. It was a complete mess, with debris scattered everywhere.

"What happened?" Remus asked, his mouth falling open.

"It seems that Voldemort himself decided to come to the Ministry tonight," Dumbledore replied. "He has fled for now, but the Minister was able to get a good look at him before he disappeared. I take it that Kingsley and Moody are still in the Death Chamber?"

"Yes," Remus confirmed. "Moody thinks that Tonks should be taken to St. Mungo's, but he's sure she'll make a full recovery. What about the rest of the children? I was going to take them to the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Yes, that would be best," Dumbledore agreed. "Except Lucy. I need to have a word with her. If you could take the rest of the students to the hospital wing, I would be most grateful." He gestured to one of the fireplaces. "You can Floo directly into the hospital wing," he instructed. "Go in pairs of two. Remus, you can inform Madam Pomfrey about tonight's incident."

Luna and Ginny were the first to Floo back to Hogwarts. Neville and Remus switched partners, and Neville and Ron went next.

Before he left, Remus put a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Will you be all right?" he asked.

A lump formed in Lucy's throat, but she nodded.

Remus also nodded his head once before entering the fireplace, supporting Hermione. "Hogwarts Hospital Wing!" he announced clearly, and he was gone.

"Well, Lucy," Dumbledore said. "There is much that I need to discuss with Harry, and as his twin sister, I think you ought to hear it, as well." Lucy nodded in tired agreement, and Dumbledore said, "Very well. If you are ready, we will Floo to my office, where Harry is waiting." He dropped a pinch of Floo Powder into the fireplace, and the flames turned green. He stepped into them, motioning for Lucy to follow.

"Head's Office, Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said clearly, and they were spinning away from the Ministry.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: Again, writing the fighting is not my strong suit.**_

_**Also, I hope I did justice to Lucy's reaction to Sirius's death.**_


	32. 32: Lucy's Biggest Secret

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 32 – Lucy's Biggest Secret**

Lucy and Dumbledore finally came to a stop in the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. Lucy peered out and saw Harry standing there, waiting for them and looking terribly exhausted. "Harry!" she cried. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank Merlin, you're okay."

She felt Harry squeeze her back, but he didn't say anything.

"Lucy," Dumbledore called softly.

Lucy stepped away from Harry and turned to the headmaster. He gestured to a chair next to his desk, and Lucy obediently went to it.

"Well, Harry," Dumbledore started, "you will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events."

Harry stood very still in the middle of the room, not looking at Dumbledore.

"Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up now," Dumbledore continued. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems that she will make a full recovery."

This time Harry nodded, at least acknowledging the professor's words. Lucy wished she could say something to him, but she couldn't think of anything that would help.

"I know how you are feeling, Harry," Dumbledore almost whispered.

This seemed to wake something inside of Harry. "No, you don't," he said loudly.

"You see, Dumbledore?" one of the portraits above Dumbledore's head grumbled. "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood—wallow in self-pity—stew in their own—"

"That's enough, Phineas," Dumbledore interrupted.

Harry had turned his back on Dumbledore and was looking out one of the windows in the office.

"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry," Dumbledore continued. "On the contrary… the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."

Lucy had a sudden urge to tell Dumbledore to leave Harry alone, but she kept her mouth shut.

"My greatest strength, is it?" Harry asked in a shaky voice. "You haven't got a clue—you don't know—"

"What don't I know?" Dumbledore prompted.

Harry turned around, and Lucy could see him literally shaking with rage. "I don't want to talk about how I _feel_, all right?" he snarled.

"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man!" Dumbledore insisted. "This pain is part of being human—"

"THEN I—DON'T—WANT—TO BE—HUMAN!" Harry thundered. He grabbed one of Dumbledore's instruments off one of the tables and threw it across the room, where it shattered against the wall.

Lucy jumped with a squeak at the sudden ferociousness that Harry presented.

"I DON'T CARE!" Harry screamed, continuing to throw things. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! I'VE SEEN ENOUGH! I WANT OUT! I WANT IT TO END! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"

Lucy's heart constricted for her brother.

"You _do_ care," Dumbledore argued. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."

"I—DON'T!" Harry insisted, his voice at almost an ear-splitting level.

"Oh, yes, you do," Dumbledore replied, still as calm as could be. "You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care."

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harry yelled. "YOU—STANDING THERE—YOU—!" He seemed like he was either out of breath or out of words. Then he spun around and ran to the door of Dumbledore's office. He pulled on the knob, but the door was locked. He turned to look at Dumbledore over his shoulder. "Let me out," he said sharply.

"No," Dumbledore said.

Harry glared at the headmaster for a few beats. "Let me _out_," he demanded again.

"No," Dumbledore refused.

"If you don't—if you keep me in here—if you don't let me—"

"By all means, continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many," Dumbledore offered. He walked around his desk to take the seat behind it.

"_Let_ _me_ _out_," Harry repeated one last time.

"Not until I have had my say," Dumbledore replied.

"Do you—do you think I want to—do you think I give a—I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!" Harry shouted. "I don't want to hear _anything_ you've got to say!"

"You will," Dumbledore said, "because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it."

Lucy gasped aloud. Dumbledore glanced at her, nodding once, and she closed her mouth.

Harry looked at Lucy, puzzled, before turning back to Dumbledore. "What are you talking—?"

"It is _my_ fault that Sirius died," Dumbledore announced. "Well, I should say _almost_ entirely my fault—I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger.

"Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you, Harry—as I should have been—you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries. You would never have been tricked into going there tonight, and Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me and me alone."

Harry stared dumbfounded, and Dumbledore took this opportunity to request, "Please sit down."

Harry hesitated for a moment before slowly walking across the room.

"Am I to understand," the portrait of Phineas Nigellus spoke, "that my great-great-grandson—the last of the Blacks—is dead?"

Lucy choked out a sob that she didn't realize she'd been holding in.

"Yes, Phineas," Dumbledore replied.

"I don't believe it," Phineas said in a huff. Lucy watched as he left his portrait, probably to go to his other painting in Grimmauld Place.

Dumbledore sighed heavily and turned to Harry. "Harry, I owe you an explanation," he began. "An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done—and not done—with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels, but old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young—and I seem to have forgotten lately.…"

As the sun began to rise outside, Dumbledore explained to Harry about the connection between Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore spoke of how Voldemort had discovered the connection when Harry had seen the snake attack on Mr. Weasley. When Dumbledore brought up Occlumency again, Harry's eyes widened.

"I tried to check he'd really taken Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "I went to Umbridge's office! I spoke to Kreacher in the fire, and he said Sirius wasn't there! He said he'd gone!"

"Kreacher lied," Dumbledore replied sadly. "You are not his master; he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."

"He—he sent me on purpose?" Harry asked.

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore said. "Kreacher, I am afraid, has been serving more than one master for months."

Dumbledore went on to tell them how Kreacher had been helping Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange with their plan to lure Harry into the Department of Mysteries and how Snape had been able to raise the alarm after Harry had given him the cryptic message.

"Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him…" Harry said about Kreacher, his hands curled into fists.

"She was quite right, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think that Sirius took me very seriously or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's—"

Harry stuttered angrily, "Don't you blame—don't you—talk—about Sirius like—Kreacher's a lying—foul—he deserved—"

"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry," Dumbledore said patiently. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He was forced to do Sirius's bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved. Kreacher felt no true loyalty to Sirius. Whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius did nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier—"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS LIKE THAT!" Harry shouted, on his feet once again. Lucy watched her brother warily as he asked, "What about _Snape_? You're not talking about him, are you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius, he just sneered at me, as usual—"

"Harry, you know that Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," Dumbledore said evenly. "As I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the forest. It was he, too, who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell of Sirius's whereabouts—"

Harry and Dumbledore continued to go back and forth about Sirius and Snape for a few minutes while Lucy watched helplessly.

"SO SIRIUS DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, DID HE?" Harry eventually roared.

Lucy stared at her brother in shock at how desperate his tone was.

"I did not say that, nor will you ever hear me say it," Dumbledore said firmly. "Sirius was not a cruel man. He was kind to house-elves in general. He had no love for Kreacher, because Kreacher was a living reminder of the home Sirius hated."

"Yeah, he did hate it!" Harry shouted. "You made him stay shut up in that house, and he _hated_ it! That's why he wanted to get out last night!" He was pacing the room, shaking in anger.

"I was trying to keep Sirius alive," Dumbledore interrupted.

"People don't like being locked up!" Harry insisted loudly. "You did it to me all last summer!"

At this, Dumbledore seemed to crumble. He buried his face in his hands for a few long moments before letting out a sigh and looking back up at Harry. "It is time for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience—from you, as well, Lucy."

Lucy started slightly, as she had started to wonder whether they had forgotten she was there.

"You will have your chance to rage at me," Dumbledore continued to Harry, "or to do whatever you like, when I have finished. I will not stop you."

Harry glared at the old man for a moment before dropping himself back into the chair across from Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore began to talk. As he talked, Lucy watched Harry grow less agitated and more exhausted. Dumbledore explained what the prophecy stated, informing Harry how he and Voldemort were connected.

Harry shut his eyes. "The end of the prophecy—it was something about—_neither can live_…"

"…_while the other survives_," Dumbledore finished for him.

Harry said, "So—so does that mean that—that one of us has got to kill the other one—in the end?"

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed quietly.

Lucy gasped.

Harry finally looked up at her. "Lucy, why are you here?" he asked, not unkindly.

Lucy dipped her head and then looked to Dumbledore.

"Part of the confession, I suppose," Dumbledore said. "Harry, I'd like you to meet Lucy Lily Potter. Your twin sister."

There was silence in the office. Lucy peeked up at Harry, hoping he wouldn't be mad. He was simply staring at her.

When neither of them said anything, Dumbledore continued, "When Lily gave birth, only a handful of close friends were aware that she had given birth to twins. Your mother and father were already in hiding from Voldemort; they knew that they were being hunted. Lily asked me if there was any way to protect her children.

"At this time, I knew of the prophecy. I knew that Voldemort would be looking for the boy, no matter what else happened. However, I guessed that Voldemort would pay no attention to the fact that the boy had a sister, since the prophecy spoke of a son, not a daughter. Therefore, to keep Lucy safe, Remus Lupin volunteered to bring her to a family who would be willing to temporarily take care of her. I wanted to get Lucy quite far away, at least for a little while. So, I contacted some families abroad, and Dan and Sue Jones were the first to get back to me."

"Did you know?" Harry asked hoarsely, looking Lucy squarely in the eyes.

She nodded timidly. "It was an accident," she replied. "I learned two years ago. I overheard Remus and Professor Dumbledore talking about it, and I confronted them. Professor Dumbledore told me everything."

"Another thing you kept from me," Harry said to Dumbledore, sounding somewhat accusatory. "All to keep me safe, I assume."

"Everything I've done for you, Harry, was to keep you safe and alive," Dumbledore replied.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Lucy said, catching a sob that was rising in her throat. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but we knew it was for your own safety that you didn't know."

"It's okay," Harry said quietly, surprising Lucy. "I'm not angry."

After another long moment of silence, Dumbledore spoke. "I feel I owe you one last explanation, Harry," he said. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess… that I rather thought… you had more than enough responsibility to be going on with."

Harry sat in the chair and said nothing, looking as though the fight had been completely taken out of him.

Finally, Lucy stood from her chair and ghosted over to stand behind Harry. She put a hand gently on his shoulder. "Come on, Harry," she said after an approving nod from Dumbledore. "I'm sure you need some sleep."

Harry wordlessly got up and followed Lucy to the door.

"Good night, Professor," Lucy said softly to the old man across the room, "or should I say, good morning?"

Dumbledore gave her a small smile. "Good morning, Lucy, Harry," he said.

Lucy put her arm around Harry's shoulders and led him out of Dumbledore's office.

**~LJ:NK~**

They began the slow trek back to the Gryffindor common room. Lucy guided Harry using all the back ways she could think of to avoid any of the other students. It was almost breakfast time, but the two of them only passed a few students who were going down to the Great Hall. None of them seemed to notice Lucy and Harry, something Lucy was extremely grateful for.

They finally reached the portrait hole. Lucy spoke the password, and the Fat Lady swung forward to let them in. The two climbed through, and they were met by Ginny and Neville, both of whom looked tired but anxious. Harry continued by them and up the boys' staircase.

"Is he okay?" Neville asked quietly.

Lucy looked at both him and Ginny sadly. "I think he will be," she replied. "It's all still so fresh. It didn't help that Dumbledore had a lot to tell him afterward." She paused and then asked, "So, Madam Pomfrey fixed you two up all right?"

"Mended in a heartbeat," Ginny replied, holding her ankle up for Lucy's examination.

Neville nodded in agreement, touching his nose. "Luna was all right, as well," he reported. "Madam Pomfrey gave her a potion, and she went back to her common room. Ron and Hermione will be staying in the hospital wing for a while, though."

There was a pause.

"Neville told me what happened to Sirius," Ginny said quietly.

Tears automatically sprung to Lucy's eyes again, and she brushed them away impatiently.

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked, looking concerned.

"I will be," Lucy answered. "It's just hard to believe that he's—that he's—" She couldn't finish the sentence, and she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

"Well, Madam Pomfrey told us that we should get some sleep," Neville intervened.

Lucy looked between Ginny and Neville, noticing how exhausted they looked. "You should definitely head up to bed, then," she said. "I'll probably go and visit Hermione and Ron tomorrow, if you want to come with me."

"Why not this afternoon?" Ginny asked quizzically. "I mean, it's only 8 in the morning."

Lucy smiled grimly at her friend. "I think I'll be spending most of the day and night sleeping this all off," she said, "or at least making sure Harry can sleep it all off."

Lucy bid Ginny good night, who trooped up the girls' staircase. Then she followed Neville up the boys' staircase. Neville didn't question her when she trailed him all the way to the fifth-year boys' room.

Harry wasn't sleeping. He was sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. Lucy went directly to him. He automatically slid over and let her sit next to him. She put her arm around his shoulders and just held him.

Finally, Harry cried. They were silent tears, full of grief. Yet Lucy stayed and held him, even after he had drifted off to sleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: This is actually the first chapter from this story that was written however many years ago, before I'd even gotten to book 5. This was always how Harry was going to find out that Lucy is his sister. I've expanded it since I'd originally written it, of course.**_

_**One more chapter to go!**_


	33. 33: Parting of Ways

_**A/N: This is the final chapter of Nowhere Kids.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter 33 – Parting of Ways**

On Saturday morning, Lucy, Harry, Neville, Ginny, and Luna visited Hermione and Ron in the hospital wing. Neville and Luna were sitting on chairs in between Hermione's and Ron's beds; Ginny and Lucy were on Hermione's bed; and Harry was on Ron's. Hermione had the _Daily Prophet_ in her hands and was reading it aloud.

_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns_

_In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned to this country and is active once more._

"_It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord—well, you know who I mean—is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reports. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe that the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord—Thingy._

"_We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defense that will be delivered free to all Wizarding homes within the coming month."_

_The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the Wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumors that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more."_

_Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening._

_Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was unavailable for comment last night. He has insisted for a year that You-Know-Who was not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power._

_Meanwhile, the Boy Who Lived—_

"There you are, Harry," Hermione said. "I knew they'd drag you into it somehow."

"He's _the Boy Who Lived_ again now, though, isn't he?" Ron said. "Not such a show-off maniac anymore, eh?" He picked up a handful of Chocolate Frogs sitting on his bedside table and handed some out to his friends. As he stretched his arms out, Lucy could see the marks from where the brains had attacked him.

"Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry," Hermione reported, looking through the rest of the article. "_A lone voice of truth—perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story—forced to bear ridicule and slander—_Hmmm, I notice they don't mention the fact that it was _them_ doing all the ridiculing and slandering, though.…"

Suddenly she winced, putting a hand to her chest. Madam Pomfrey had assured them that the curse Hermione had been hit with had done much less harm than it could have, but it had still caused "quite enough damage to be going on with." Hermione was taking ten potions a day to help her get better, and she was showing a lot of improvement.

"_You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four. What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five. Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight. Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine_. Well, it's certainly given them lots to write about," Hermione commented. "But that interview with Harry isn't exclusive—it's the one that was in _The Quibbler_ months ago—"

"Daddy sold it to them," Luna announced. She had been looking through a copy of said magazine as Hermione had been reading aloud to them. "He got a very good price for it, too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer to see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

There was silence before Hermione said, "That sounds lovely." Then she adjusted herself in her bed and asked, "So, anyway, what's going on in school?"

Lucy looked at Harry. They hadn't told anybody about them being siblings, but they knew it was bound to get out soon. Harry shrugged minutely.

"We have something to tell you all," Lucy began. "We wanted you to hear it from us before the rumor mill beat us to it. Harry and I are—er—we're twins." Lucy looked around at her friends, who were staring at her, the surprise obvious on their faces.

"You're what?" Ron asked blankly.

"Twins," Lucy repeated. "Like your brothers."

"_How_?" Ginny questioned.

Lucy began dryly, "Well, when a man and a woman love each other—"

"That's _not_ what I meant," Ginny scowled.

"How did you escape from You-Know-Who?" Neville asked, staring at Lucy.

"Lily—my mother—sent me away for my safety," Lucy explained. "Voldemort was after the Potters and their child, so Lily wanted to try and save at least one of us. So, Dumbledore sent me to America."

"Have you known all this time?" Ron asked.

"No," Lucy replied. "Back in the third year, I overheard Remus talking with Dumbledore about it and confronted them. Harry only just found out the other night."

"You know, I always thought that you seemed awfully close with Lupin and Sirius," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I _knew_ there was something going on that you didn't want to tell us."

"It's not that I didn't _want_ to," Lucy said. "I promised Dumbledore that I wouldn't say _anything_. It was better for everyone involved, he said."

"Harry?" Hermione said, turning to their friend. "You're being a bit quiet about this. How does it feel to know that you have a sister?"

"I dunno," Harry answered with a shrug. "I've known Lucy for ages now. I mean, sure—it's a bit _weird_—but it doesn't really have to change anything."

"Right," Lucy agreed.

There was a moment of silence.

"Speaking of twins, Flitwick's got rid of Fred's and George's swamp," Ginny reported. "He did it in about three seconds, but he left a tiny patch under the window. He's roped it off and everything—"

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I've heard that he wanted to leave it as a monument to Fred and George," Lucy said with a shrug.

"They sent me all these, you know," Ron spoke up, gesturing to the pile of Chocolate Frogs. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?"

"So, has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Neville answered, "everything's settled right back down again."

"I s'ppose Filch is happy, is he?" Ron joked.

"Not at all," Lucy said. "He's really, _really_ miserable, actually.…" She lowered her voice and continued, "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts.…"

They all turned to look at a bed on the opposite side of the ward. Umbridge was lying there. Nobody knew how Dumbledore had managed to rescue Umbridge from the forest, and she certainly had no intentions of telling anyone how it had happened. Dumbledore had brought her straight up to the hospital wing, and as far as anyone knew, she hadn't uttered a single word about it.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," Hermione whispered.

"Sulking, more like," Ginny quipped.

"Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," Ron said. He made a soft clicking noise with his tongue, and Umbridge shot up in her bed.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" Madam Pomfrey asked from her office.

"No—no," Umbridge mumbled, lying back. "No, I must have been dreaming.…"

The group of students tried to muffle their laughter, turning away from the woman.

"Speaking of centaurs," Hermione said, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"

"He's got to," Harry said. "The other centaurs won't take him back, will they?"

"It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," Ginny said.

"Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good," Ron said, his mouth full of chocolate. "Mind you, the whole subject's useless if you ask me. Firenze isn't a lot better—"

"How can you say that?" Hermione gasped. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies? It's a pity it broke."

Lucy glanced sideways at Harry. She was sure that he'd want to tell Ron and Hermione about the prophecy at some point, but she didn't want to spill the beans before he was ready to talk about it.

"Yeah, it is," Ron agreed. "Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it, either—"

"Where are you going?" Lucy asked sharply.

Harry had stood up quickly. "Er—Hagrid's," he answered. "You know, he just got back, and I promised I'd go down and see him—tell him how Ron and Hermione are, you know.…"

"Oh, all right, then," Ron sighed. "Wish we could come.…"

"Say hello to him for us!" Hermione added as Harry waved good-bye to the rest of them, "and ask him what's happening about—about his little friend!"

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, there was complete silence as Lucy entered the Great Hall with Harry, Neville, and Ginny for breakfast. All the other students turned to watch the four Gryffindors as they walked down the Hall and took their seats.

"_What_ is going on?" Ginny asked in a low voice. "What are they all staring at us for _this_ time?"

"No idea," Lucy murmured, glancing around the hall.

Then Dean and Seamus joined them. Seamus was clutching a copy of the newspaper in his hands. "Have you seen the _Prophet_ this morning yet?" he asked tentatively.

"No," Harry said. "Why? Did something happen?"

"You might want to take a look," Seamus said, handing the paper over.

Harry took one look at the front page, and his eyes grew wide. He laid the paper out on the table, so the others could read the headline.

_Secret Twin Sister of the Boy Who Lived_

Underneath was a photo of Lucy, who wasn't sure where they had gotten it.

"Son of a bitch," she groaned, putting her face in her hands. "I knew it was going to get out," she remarked, "but I didn't think it would be this quickly _or_ that there would be a bloody article about it."

"So, it's true?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Lucy answered, lowering her hands. She spun the paper around, so she could read the article for herself. When she had finished, she swore quietly under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"I haven't told Jeremy yet," Lucy replied. "I wanted to tell him before someone else did, but judging by the way everyone was looking over here, most people have seen the article." After a quick look up and down the Slytherin table and not spotting him, Lucy stood up, her stomach rumbling with hunger. "I need to find him," she said.

"Good luck," Ginny called after her.

As Lucy walked down the table, her heart felt heavy. Now that her secret was very public, Jeremy's parents were bound to find out about them. It could be extremely dangerous for Jeremy to keep dating Lucy. She couldn't be responsible for putting Jeremy in danger; she _wouldn't_ be responsible for it. A small lump formed in her throat as she realized what she had to do.

Exiting the Great Hall, she paused in the entrance hall, unsure of where to look first. Thankfully, she didn't need to go any further.

"Lucy!" Jeremy was hurrying over to her from the dungeon stairs.

Lucy's eyes stung, and she quickly blinked a few times before Jeremy got near enough to notice. "I think we need to talk," she said steadily.

"Yeah, we probably should," Jeremy said. "I saw the article in the _Prophet_. Is it true?"

"Yes," Lucy answered simply.

"Twin sister to the famous Harry Potter," Jeremy said. "How long have you known about it?"

"I found out in our third year," Lucy answered. "I overheard Professor Lupin and Dumbledore talking about it, and Dumbledore decided it would be easier to tell me the truth rather than keeping me in the dark. I wasn't supposed to tell anybody, but after what happened at the Ministry, Dumbledore decided it was time to tell Harry. I knew it was going to get out, but I wanted to tell you myself.… I never thought they would write an article in the _Prophet_ about it."

"It's _wild,_ though, imagining you as Harry's twin sister," Jeremy said.

"Yes, but I've been thinking about it," Lucy said quietly. "There is no way that your parents won't hear about this."

"I suppose they will," Jeremy agreed slowly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"They're bound to find out that we've been dating," Lucy said.

"Maybe, but so what?" Jeremy asked, frowning.

Lucy sighed. "Look, your parents are going to find out about us, and they're going to know that I'm Harry's twin," she said. "I'm sure that Voldemort is not going to like that the son of one of his Death Eaters is dating Harry Potter's sister."

"I don't think that You-Know-Who is going to care about who _I'm_ dating," Jeremy stated flatly.

"You can't know that," Lucy said. "While you're still living with your father and are underage, you need to stay safe—"

"Lucy, listen," Jeremy cut in, taking both her hands in his. "Everything will be fine. I'll be seventeen in a few months, and then I won't have to live with my parents anymore."

"Yes, but between now and then, you're going to be in danger if you keep dating me," Lucy said sadly.

Jeremy dropped her hands. "Lucy—"

"It's the truth, and you know it," Lucy interrupted, feeling the moisture in the corners of her eyes.

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair and was silent for a moment before asking, "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to stay safe," Lucy answered.

"Lucy, please," Jeremy said, his voice pleading. "I—I love you."

Lucy shut her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. When she opened them again, she looked into Jeremy's distressed face. "I'm sorry, Jeremy," she whispered. "You need to stay safe, especially now that the entire Wizarding world knows that Voldemort has returned. You shouldn't be risking your safety just to be with me."

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair again, looking agitated. "So, that's it?" he asked. "We're breaking up?"

Lucy started, "It's not like I _want_ to—"

"Then _don't_," Jeremy said. "My parents aren't going to find out about us."

"What if they do, Jeremy?" Lucy asked. "What would they do if they found out about us, especially now that everyone knows who I am?" Jeremy stared at her but didn't say anything, and Lucy nodded. "You need to stay _safe_," she repeated. "That's why I'm doing this."

Lucy and Jeremy continued to stare at each other for a moment, neither of them saying anything.

"Would you still want to be with me if You-Know-Who wasn't back to full power?" Jeremy asked abruptly.

Lucy felt startled. "Yes," she answered him honestly.

Jeremy nodded. "Okay," he said.

Then he stepped forward, pulled Lucy into his arms, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Lucy was shocked for a second before melting into the embrace. It was desperate but fleeting, and Jeremy let her go all too soon.

"I guess I'll see you around," he said. Then he left for the Slytherin common room.

Once he was out of sight, Lucy let the tears fall. She hoped that he would understand why she had to do what she did; that he would be safer if he wasn't involved with her.

She headed back to Gryffindor Tower, no longer hungry.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the term passed rather quickly. Lucy spent all of her time outside of class with Harry, Neville, and Ginny. They made frequent trips up to the hospital wing to visit Hermione and Ron. When they weren't in the hospital, they went outside to sit by the lake and enjoy the summer sun.

Three days before the end of term, Hermione and Ron returned to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione seemed eager to talk to Harry about Sirius, but Lucy and Ron would stop her every time.

Lucy also told Hermione about breaking up with Jeremy.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said after Lucy had finished her story. "There's something I don't understand, though."

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"If you care about him so much, why did you break up with him?" Hermione questioned carefully.

"I told you," Lucy replied, frowning. "I'm trying to keep him safe. His father won't be pleased about his son dating Harry Potter's sister."

"You could've kept it a secret, couldn't you?" Hermione pressed.

"I don't think so," Lucy said sadly. "Not now that the truth is out there. Thanks to the stupid _Prophet_."

"But—"

"Hermione, it's done," Lucy interrupted, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

Hermione dropped the subject.

**~LJ:NK~**

On the night before the last day of the term, Umbridge tried to sneak out of the school while everyone was at dinner. However, Peeves took this as his last opportunity to cause her distress. He chased her all the way down the front drive of the school, hitting her alternatively with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Lucy and her friends piled into the entrance hall with most of the other students to watch Umbridge running away as fast as her short legs could carry her.

**~LJ:NK~**

"Well, I tried to get him to come down," Ron said, "but he said he still had to pack his trunk."

It was their last night at Hogwarts, and the end-of-term feast would be starting in ten minutes. Lucy and Hermione had waited in the common room for Ron and Harry, and they were disappointed when Ron had joined them alone.

"I guess we'd better go downstairs, then," Lucy sighed. "It's no use trying to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do."

Lucy, Hermione, and Ron went down to the Great Hall and joined their fellow fifth-years at the Gryffindor table.

"No Harry?" Neville asked, scooting over on the bench so Lucy could sit down.

"No Harry," Lucy confirmed. "He's been a bit distant since—that night. Understandably, of course." A few days after the incident at the Ministry, Lucy had explained to Neville and Luna that Sirius had been hers and Harry's godfather.

"He said he'd show up later," Ron added hopefully.

A hush fell over the crowd as Dumbledore rose to his feet. Since he'd returned, the school had gone relatively back to normal, except for the lingering fear that Voldemort had truly returned. None of the students knew what to expect when they left Hogwarts the next day.

"Another year has come to an end," Dumbledore said, "and I'm sorry to announce that—because of the unbalanced way that the House Points were being given out and taken away—we will not be awarding the House Cup this year."

There were some murmurs, and many students glared over to the Slytherin table, where the former Inquisitorial Squad were all sitting together. There was a gap between them and the rest of their house.

"As you are all aware, the Ministry has announced that Lord Voldemort is at large once again," Dumbledore continued. "It is therefore critical that you do your best to stay safe over the summer. We want to see every single one of your faces back here on September first, with the exception of those graduating, of course.

"Now, for a few announcements. The Hogwarts Express will be leaving tomorrow at ten a.m., as usual. Please remember, you are not allowed to perform magic over the holidays if you are younger than seventeen. For those of you who took your O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. examinations, you should expect your results sometime in mid-July.

"I think that's everything," Dumbledore finished. "We hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday." He beamed around at the students before taking his seat again.

A moment later, the food had appeared on the house tables, and everyone dived into their last dinner of the school year.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Lucy finished packing her trunk with a heavy heart. Leaving Hogwarts was never easy, but now that the Wizarding world had accepted Voldemort's return, Lucy was more anxious than ever for the summer to begin.

She went down to Great Hall with Hermione, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ginny, and they all ate their last breakfast together. Towards the end of the meal, Lucy couldn't help but glance over at the Slytherin table, spotting Jeremy sitting with his friends. He didn't look back at her.

When everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore stood up and announced the names of the seventh-years who were graduating. The rest of the school applauded for them, and the seventh-years left the hall first to take the boats across the lake one last time.

The rest of the students convened in the entrance hall to wait for the carriages that would take them down to the train. Lucy was following her friends out, looking around absently at the other students, when she saw Jeremy again through the crowd. He was standing with Jake, Mary, and another girl who Lucy recognized from Potions class.

Lucy froze, staring at them as the girl laughed and touched Jeremy's arm. She barely noticed that her other friends had moved on without her.

"Worried?"

Lucy whipped her head around and saw Daphne approaching her.

Daphne gave her a small smile and added, "You're thinking it again. You're wondering why I'm talking to you."

"Who is that?" Lucy asked, jerking her head towards Jeremy and the others.

Daphne smirked. "That's Rhonda Hale," she answered. "Fifth-year Slytherin, like us. She's fancied Jeremy for about… two years now? She was disappointed when he didn't ask her to the Yule Ball last year, and she was _especially_ disappointed when he started dating you."

Lucy's heart sank. "Does he like her?" she questioned.

"He doesn't _not_ like her," Daphne said with a shrug.

The feeling of conflict that consumed Lucy almost overwhelmed her. She had broken up with him to keep him safe, but she didn't like the fact that another girl fancied him. Jealousy began to gnaw at her, but she scolded herself immediately.

"Lucy, you don't have anything to worry about," Daphne said, interrupting Lucy's thoughts. Her genuine tone surprised Lucy. "He loves you. He's heartbroken, even if he doesn't want to admit it, but I know that boy better than he thinks I do. He's not going to give up on you; not yet."

"I didn't want to do it," Lucy whispered, glancing over at Jeremy, who was laughing at something one of his friends had said.

"Well, I've been on team Jeremy and Lucy since the beginning," Daphne chuckled. "If this is something that you feel like you need to do, then I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise. I just wanted to know where you stand on all of this."

Lucy continued to look at Jeremy, and suddenly his eyes flashed up to meet hers. Her heart rate accelerated a bit at the intensity of his gaze. She wanted to run across the hall and join him, but she knew that she couldn't. Then Jeremy looked away, and Lucy turned to Daphne.

"He knows how I feel," Lucy said. "He knows why I did it, even if he doesn't want to accept it."

"Oh, I know," Daphne said. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I hope you have a good summer. I'll see you in September."

"'Bye," Lucy replied, and Daphne turned away.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked, appearing at Lucy's side.

"Nothing," Lucy answered. "C'mon—I think the carriages are here."

**~LJ:NK~**

Lucy, Hermione, and their other friends followed the group of students moving slowly towards the front doors. They all got into the carriages and were herded down to Hogsmeade station. There they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Lucy joined Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny in their own compartment. They talked for a little while, but Lucy wasn't fully paying attention to it. Her mind continued to drift to the conversation that she'd had with Daphne.

A few hours after the train had departed, Harry and Ron left for the bathroom. It took them longer than it should have to return. When they got back, they explained that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had tried to ambush them. Fortunately, it had happened in front of the compartment where Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot had been sitting. The six of them had sent so many jinxes and hexes at Malfoy and his friends that they had been knocked unconscious.

Not long after that, the food trolley came around. Lucy and Harry bought a pile of treats to share in their compartment. Then they all settled in again. Hermione was reading through the _Daily Prophet_, Neville was tending to his _Mimbulus mimbletonia_, and Ginny was taking a quiz in a copy of _The Quibbler_. Harry and Ron were playing a game of chess, and Lucy watched them, stroking Evie.

Hermione periodically read aloud bits of the _Daily Prophet_. There were articles about how to defend against a dementor and other ways to stay safe. There were also lists of known Death Eaters, whom the Ministry were trying to track down. Then there were all the letters from _Prophet_ readers who swore they had seen Voldemort for themselves.

"It hasn't really started yet," Hermione said sadly, putting the paper down, "but it won't be long now—"

"Hey, Harry," Ron said suddenly, nodding out into the corridor.

Lucy looked up to see Cho Chang walking past with her friend Marietta, who was wearing a balaclava. Cho glanced into the compartment and then hurried away when she spotted Harry.

"What's—er—going on with you and her, anyway?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Harry replied, shrugging and looking at the chessboard.

"I heard she's going out with someone else now," Lucy said carefully.

Harry frowned minutely, but he didn't seem bothered by this news.

"You're well out of it, mate," Ron said fiercely. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"Nice," Lucy scoffed quietly.

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," Harry said absently.

"Who's she with now, anyway?" Ron asked, looking at Lucy.

"Michael Corner," Ginny announced instead. She didn't look up from her magazine.

Ron, staring at his sister, stammered, "Michael—but—but _you_ were going out with him!"

"Not anymore," Ginny replied easily. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him. He ran off to comfort Cho instead." She flipped _The Quibbler_ upside down, so she could check the answers to her quiz.

"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," Ron said, sounding cheerful. "Good for you. Just choose someone—_better_—next time."

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas. Would you say he's better?" Ginny asked, still not looking up.

"_WHAT_?" Ron thundered, standing up so quickly that he sent the chessboard and pieces flying.

"I think that means you win that round, Harry," Lucy chuckled.

**~LJ:NK~**

Soon they were pulling into the station at King's Cross. When the train stopped, they all pulled their trunks onto the platform. They went through the barrier back into the Muggle world, and there they found a large group waiting for them. Moody, Tonks, and Remus were standing with Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Fred! George!" Lucy cried, running up to them. She hugged them tightly.

"Ron! Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, hurrying forward towards her two youngest children. She threw her arms around them, pulling them to her. "Oh, and Harry, dear—how are you?"

"Fine," Harry replied, letting Mrs. Weasley hug him.

"What are _they_ supposed to be?" Ron asked, pointing at the jackets that Fred and George were wearing.

"Finest dragon skin, little bro," Fred answered. "Business is booming, and we thought we'd treat ourselves."

"They look great," Lucy said, smiling. She accepted the hug from Mrs. Weasley, followed by Mr. Weasley. Then she hugged Remus and Tonks next.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said, smiling at Harry.

"Hi," Harry said. "I didn't expect—what are you all doing here?"

"Well, we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home," Remus answered.

"I dunno if that's a good idea," Harry said uncertainly.

"Oh, I think it is," Moody insisted. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?" He gestured to a group of three Muggles nearby.

"Ah, Harry!" Mr. Weasley said, turning towards the Hogwarts students. He had been exchanging enthusiastic greetings with Hermione's parents, who were now hugging their daughter. "Well—shall we do it, then?"

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," Moody said.

He and Mr. Weasley started towards Harry's family, followed by the rest of them. Lucy examined the Dursleys carefully, wondering if Harry would tell them that she was his sister.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Weasley said, stopping in front of Harry's uncle. "You might remember me. My name's Arthur Weasley." Harry's uncle glared at Mr. Weasley, who continued, "We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry."

"Yeah," Moody added, "about how he's treated when he's at your place."

"I am not aware," Mr. Dursley began gruffly, "that it is any of _your_ business what goes on inside my house—"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," Moody interrupted, and Lucy tried not to laugh out loud.

"Anyway, that's not the point," Tonks said. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry—"

"—and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," Remus interjected.

"Yes," Mr. Weasley agreed, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone—"

"_Telephone_," Lucy and Hermione whispered.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," Moody finished.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" Mr. Dursley asked loudly.

Some people walking by turned to look at him.

"Yes, I am," Moody replied easily.

"Do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" Mr. Dursley demanded.

"Well…" Moody said. Then he pushed his hat back to reveal his magical eye.

Mr. Dursley gasped in surprise, hopping backwards and colliding into one of the luggage trolleys.

"Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley," Moody finished. Then he turned to Harry and said, "So, Potter—give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along.…"

Harry nodded silently.

"'Bye, then, Potter," Moody said, clapping Harry on his shoulder.

"Take care, Harry," Remus said, shaking Harry's hand. "Keep in touch."

Then Harry was passed around the rest of the group, who all assured him that they would send him owls.

"We'll see you soon, mate," Ron said, giving Harry's hand a firm shake.

"Really soon, Harry," Hermione added, hugging him. "We promise."

Then Lucy was finally able to give him a tight hug. "We love you," she murmured. "Stay safe."

She pulled away from him, and Harry nodded to all of them. Then he smiled, raised his hand to wave at them all, and followed his uncle out of the train station.

A few minutes later, Hermione said her final good-byes, as well, and left with her parents.

"Well, Lucy, dear," Mrs. Weasley said, turning to her. "Dumbledore has been in touch, and you're supposed to come with us. We'll explain everything when we get home."

"Sounds good to me," Lucy replied, smiling around at her extended family. Then, after looping her arm around Ginny's, she followed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley out into the afternoon sunshine.

**~LJ:NK~**

* * *

_**A/N: It was very important that Lucy and Harry tell their friends that they're twins. Originally, the scene felt awkward and forced, so I've rewritten it a few times. Hopefully now it feels like it flows pretty well.**_

_**Honestly, I don't have an answer to how the **_**Daily Prophet_ found out about Lucy and were able to publish an article about her. I just knew that it needed to happen._**

**_Lucy breaking up with Jeremy wasn't necessarily planned, but it happened very organically. And Jeremy's declaration of his love for her was very raw, and I love that._**

**_The conversation Lucy has with Daphne was added quite late, as well. I originally didn't mention Jeremy again after they'd broken up, but I wanted to have Lucy see him one more time before getting on the train. I wanted to show that she is actually upset about what happened, and without that scene of her talking to Daphne, you don't get to see that._**

_**And we have made it to the end of yet another story! I hope you all enjoyed this one. The next one will be called Here We Are, and I will begin posting it on September 2nd. See you there!**_


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